


Ignite Infinity

by mirroralchemist



Series: The Life and Times [2]
Category: Phantasy Star (Video Games), Phantasy Star Portable 2, Phantasy Star Portable 2: Infinity
Genre: Game Spoilers, Gen, MOAR ANGST, Novelization, POV First Person, Personal Growth, fluffy feels, just a little, maybe some mind games, slight AU, the shipping is strong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 15:17:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 45,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10766922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirroralchemist/pseuds/mirroralchemist
Summary: (A Novelization of Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity) Takes place almost immediately after The Life and Times.After the Subspace Incident, Ami thought she could just live peacefully aboard Clad 6 with Little Wing. But with her new client Nagisa and Wynarl, she learns that it is not the case. The three try to finally bring lasting peace to Gurhal. Easier said than done.





	1. New Client, Same Goal

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for your patience while I took a break. I now present to you the next part of The Life and Times. Pretty much the same warnings apply to this fic as the last one. Spoilers for PSPo2i are rampant. This fic wouldn't have been done it if wasn't for Devifoxx's PSPo2i guide way back when. I had received permission from him beforehand to use his guide as a reference for this fic.
> 
> Single quotations dialogue is Wynarl speaking.
> 
> Some of the spellings might be different because I'm used to the JPN spelling of some terminology.

I honestly had thought that once I stepped down the Guardians and then helped Mika, I would be able to live the rest of my life without trying to save the world.

_“Tusakanova, we should get going.”_

_“It’s Satomora, I’ve had it legally changed to go by my other last name. But even then, please call me Ami. I’m not that much older than you.”_

I couldn’t refuse the call to save Gurhal.

After the initial shock that the woman we fought at GRM, Nagisa, had hired me Emilia brought all of us to my room. A part of me wondered why always in my room, but that was a small thing in the grand scheme of things going on with that day.

_“Look, I don’t know what game you’re playing missy, but you’re not going to fool me.”_

_“Excuse me, game?”_

_“Ami, tell her! She used that frightening power, she must have come here to finish the job...”_

_“Emilia, now you’re being silly. If that was the case then Crouch wouldn’t have accepted her request. We’re not that hard up for meseta. Anyway, Nagisa correct? I’m sorry for my partner, sometimes she overreacts. But I do agree with her on some points. I felt something off from you and we did just fight, so my initial trust isn’t there yet. So explain why you decided to hire the person you just faced?”_

To make the story short, Gurhal was in trouble again. Dumans appearing was a sign of something going to happen. She wanted to stop the trigger that created Dumans. Apparently, since we were investigating subspace, we had mistaken that it was the reason Gurhal was still in decline. When if fact, we should be looking at the Seed.

It was only natural that we tried subspace first, since the most recent crisis involved it.

Everything seemed to revolve right back to the Seed.

_‘Ami darling, you’re wandering too deep into your thoughts again.’_

_“Wynarl, please stop adding darling.”_

This also brought one of the reasons why she chose me to help her.

Wynarl is an Ancient who decided to take host inside Nagisa. The faint voices I heard during our fight in GRM was his. It was possible through my bond with Mika. Like Mika, he objected Kumhan’s plan to take over the human and was why he was able to still exist in Gurhal despite Kumhan no longer being here. Anyway, because of the bond with Mika, it was easier for me to understand Nagisa’s motives.

She’s...not very good at explaining things simply.

So our mission started in some remote area in Neudaiz.

_“It’s nearby.”_

_“What is Nagisa?”_

_“Our target, but there is something blocking my ability to sense it clearly. We will need to clear it before continuing.”_

_“Hmm...you’re right. I feel it too and I know it’s not the area. The photon count here is way too low.”_

_“Ah, that’s right. I do remember you have some sensitivity to photons due to your Newman nature.”_

_“It’s only a trace. I’m officially classified as a Human.”_

Our trip through the area brought us to the source of the interference, minerals found all over the place. There was something about the aura they gave out which blocked out Nagisa’s ability to feel for her target, so we had to destroy them. There were so many scattered through the area that it made me wonder about why these weren’t discovered sooner?

Could it be possible that it’s another sign of Gurhal’s decline?

We had gotten rid of about twenty or so of them before we had to take a break. The increase of creatures as well as we got further into the area was a concern for me.

I couldn’t help but wonder about Nagisa. There were more questions I had about her now that I got to be in this mission with her.

What was she doing in GRM?

Why was her target that stone?

Where did it go after she touched it?

I needed to find out these answers if I was going to continue this partnership with her.

_“Hey Nagisa, I-”_

Her response was to point her sword at me. She was immediately on guard. I was unfazed by her actions, being a former Guardian I wasn’t shocked by people doing this to me.

That and I think Nagisa wasn’t used to someone actually helping her.

_“It’s only you Satomora. It’s best you not startle me like that. I might have killed you by accident.”_

_“Well I haven’t been killed by someone yet, so I think I’d take my chances.”_

That response got a smirk out of Wynarl. I just showed him the second reason why Nagisa asked for me and not Emilia for her missions. She knew of my experiences before coming to Little Wing.

_‘She knows how strong you are. That night at GRM she felt that strength.’_

_“I felt her power too, I wonder why she needs me.”_

_‘Nagisa is pretty strong, that I can admit to. She couldn’t do this alone, at least not anymore.’_

_“Anymore?”_

_‘I’m getting ahead of myself. She’ll explain in due time. Anyway, how do you feel about this entire Duman situation? It has to be weird to have a new race discovered in your generation?’_

_“Satomora, Wynarl, lets go.”_

_‘Think about it Ami darling, we’ll talk more later.’_

I noticed that the closer we got to Nagisa target, the more hostile the creatures in the area became and in increased numbers. It was starting to feel more and more like a sign of things to come. Were they blocking our progress? That couldn’t be it...could it?

All the same they felled to Nagisa and I’s weapons.

After clearing the area we found it, Nagisa’s target.

_“The 108th fragment.”_

Wait, 108?

The fragment she was talking about looked like that gem from GRM. I felt something really bad coming from the gem. Like it shouldn’t be disturbed, faint whispers in my head telling me that this was dangerous. I looked on in shock as she absorbed the gem into her body. That darkness of the stone went inside her body, coincidentally the whispers stopped as well.

This wasn’t natural.

I needed to know why Nagisa was gathering these fearful stones.

_“Nagisa that gem. You did the same thing in GRM, didn’t you?”_

_“Yes, I did.”_

_“Why?”_

_‘I asked you about the Duman situation earlier. These stones we believe are the source of their creation. We don’t know the specifics of the changes, but these stones have the power to completely change a being’s genetic makeup. Humans are just far easier to be affected by it.’_

_“Considering our makeup made it easy to create Newmans and Beasts, I’m not surprised. But what does that have to do with anything?”_

_‘That’s not all Ami darling-’_

_“Stop adding darling Wynarl.”_

_‘Anyway, we feel that these stones, these fragments are the reason that even after the Seed and Kumhan are gone from this place Gurhal still is in decline. You know about the photon shortage right?’_

_“Of course, my father is a researcher of Photon applications. He’s been concerned about the shortage too.”_

_‘Right, and since the sealing of Rykros is thanks to the power of photons...’_

My face paled at the lingering sentence.

Wynarl went on to say that the darkness is manifesting into these gems in a way that Dark Falz manifests. The stones gain more power by absorbing more negative emotions which was affecting the nearby area. If nothing was done then Gurhal would be in a perfect state for Dark Falz to leave the sealing and plague us again. The creation of Dumans was a sign we didn’t have much time. This was Nagisa’s goal.

I had thought that when we sealed Rykros away, we eliminated any chance of Dark Falz returning.

Apparently, that wasn’t the case.

I wanted to ask her more about that, but she was passed out.

_“Nagisa!”_

_‘Nagisa!’_

_“I’m...fine...”_

I did panic a little when she finally became unconscious. But she was breathing normally, which just meant she was exhausted and not injured. Wynarl assured he even more she was fine. Just sleeping off the absorption of the crystal. This revealed the main reason why Nagisa hired me, she needed a bodyguard. Having absorbed so many of those fragments have begun to reach Nagisa’s limits. Wynarl can only do so much not having a body of his own. If Nagisa were to get attacked during her blackouts, then Gurhal is doomed an absolute death. Nagisa didn’t seem like the type to openly admit this.

His words were on my mind as I carried Nagisa from our mission area to my room.

_‘I feel a little bad asking so much of you already Ami.’_

_“It’s fine, I couldn’t leave her down there and the flyers are uncomfortable to sleep on.”_

_‘But still, thanks. I’m relieved you’re a girl though. If this was a guy’s room, I would be worried. Nagisa is a nice girl, if a little naive. Like a page out of one of those books, the female lead lets her guard down for a perfect opportunity for the interest to prove their love to her. But that won’t happen, unless you like girls?’_

My face flushed with heat at his statement. I can see why Emilia called him a pervert.

Other than a fact he has basically unlimited access to a female’s whims since he’s taken host in Nagisa.

_“I never thought about th-hey! Why am I indulging you with this talk? Whether I like girls or guys is none of your business.”_

Luckily Emilia called before he could try to press an answer out of me. Emilia did some checking into Wynarl’s story earlier and his theory was correct. There was some connection between the genetics of Dumans and those formerly infected by the Seed-virus. At least, on a very basic level. Emilia needed to spend more time researching with Shizuru before she could get into details. So I would be working with Nagisa by myself a little longer.

I wasn’t mad about the situation.

Deep down, research is Emilia’s life.

But I still miss her being by my side like usual.

Anyway, when we disconnected Wynarl had a request for me. Not ordered by Nagisa, but a personal one from him.

_“It’s not anything dubious is it?”_

_‘Of course not! Why would you ask that?’_

_“Did you not just ask me about my preference?”_

_‘So witty Ami darling, but not this time. I just want you to be nice to Nagisa and be her friend.’_

_“Why?”_

He didn’t explain.

Wynarl didn’t need to ask me. I wanted to be friends with Nagisa. She’s a bit odd, I’ll admit. But I don’t think she’s a bad person. She’s pushing her body so hard to save Gurhal. I can feel that determination coming from her.

But she would need some guidance to better blend into society.

I think I can manage that.


	2. Even if it's Against You, I'll Still Perform My Duty

I had opted to do some VR missions while Nagisa was resting up. There was nothing I can do to make her recovery faster than to just let her rest in peace. The mission was a good way for me to waste time and take my mind off of the current affairs. If only for a few minutes. I still had plenty of questions to ask Nagisa about her mission. But over the years I think I’ve learned that trying to learn everything in the moment won’t happen. Things take time.

I just really hope that when the time I do learn of these things come, it won’t be too late.

Soon my communit rang.

_“Ami here.”_

_“Ah Satomora, you can hear me?”_

_‘Nagisa, this is going on real time so just talk to her normally.’_

_“Yeah, I can hear you clear Nagisa. You feeling better?”_

_“Yes, I got more than enough rest. Thank you for the concern. I would like to speak with you, so meet me at the cafe.”_

_“It’ll be a few minutes since I’m almost done with a mission, but I’ll be there.”_

I finished the mission with haste and started to make my way to the cafe. At least that was my intention.

_“Ami?”_

Ursula had called me on my trek to the cafe. While I answered to Crouch, Ursula was above him and my boss. So Nagisa needed to wait while I obliged to her call.

_“Yes? Is something the matter?”_

_“No, no. This isn’t a professional call.”_

_“Oh, okay then.”_

_“We’ve never just sat down and talked have we? It’s been so hectic the past few months. You’ve been such a life saver since signing up with Little Wing and I wanted to thank you. These are from my personal collection.”_

She gave me clothes.

A near perfect replica of her outfit she wears. The only difference was the grayish corset and the pink accents on the jacket and pants. I was shocked at the gift. I always liked Ursula’s clothing, but I never thought I would actually wear it.

_“I-I don’t think I can take these. It’s a nice gesture though.”_

_“I can’t take them back, I’ve had them specifically tailored to your measurements. And the material is more suited for you fighting style, since you’re a Twin Daggers specialist. Plus durable for the kind of missions you go on.”_

_“How did you get my measureme-Nevermind, I don’t think I want to know.”_

_“I have an eye for these things, trust me.”_

_“I don’t know what to say. Why?”_

_“You’ve done so much for Emilia and the rest of us. So this is a thanks and you’re getting older. It’s fine to show off that body you worked so hard for.”_

_“What! Hey!”_

_“Ha ha ha. I’m kidding. But really, thank you for everything you’ve done so far. We all appreciate what you do.”_

_“Thanks Ursula, I’ll wear these proudly.”_

I soon reached the cafe. Nagisa was waiting for me near the entrance. She looked a lot better from when she passed out on Neudaiz. But my contact with Dumans have been limited so far, so it’s hard to tell what’s fine with them.

_“What took so long?”_

_“Oh sorry, Ursula pulled me aside to talk with me. I hope I didn’t make you wait too long. You do seem better.”_

_“I do feel a lot better. Like I can take on the world.”_

_‘Lets not test that Nagisa.’_

_“I agree with Wynarl. Anyway, you needed me for something?”_

Nagisa admitted that she really didn’t have our next destination in mind. For a long time she just went on feeling for the fragments on a general level. She could never pinpoint it however. The areas were just too vast for one person to search the way she has. And she confirmed that the increased hostility of the creatures were in fact a direct influence from the fragments.

It reminded me too much of the Seed infecting the creatures.

_“I guess it can’t be helped then. As long as you know the general area, we can at least cut down on the search by a good bit.”_

_“The only problem is that these areas can become immense. Searching on foot would be counteract this if we don’t begin to pinpoint the fragments’ locations.”_

_“We could always just find out places that started to have more hostile creatures lately. At worst it could be leftover Seed influenced creatures the Guardians and the Alliance Military overlooked.”_

_‘That’s very true, we just never had the resources to do a thing until now.’_

_“I see...well I’ll try to ask if we can use what we have here at Little Wing to help out.”_

My communit rang again.

This time it was Crouch

Usually when he calls, it’s that he has a mission lined up for me.

_“You’re still an active member of Little Wing. So don’t worry about my request and do your duties Satomora.”_

_“I really wish you would call me Ami. Makes me feel like I’m in trouble when I’m called by my last name.”_

Anyway, Crouch had indeed called me for a mission. This time, my client was the Guardians. Apparently the increase of mutations have gotten their interest. I couldn’t blame them to be honest. If there was any signs of this being caused by the Seed, then this would reflect terribly on them.

My job would to provide escort to a Guardian and GRM employee through GRM’s field property.

For a brief moment I panicked. I highly doubt that the mutations have any relation to GRM. But this reminded me too much of the GRM when Illuminus was in there.

No, I couldn’t think that way. Hyuga has been working hard to make sure GRM wouldn’t fall into that. Plus Dad’s been helping as well. There was nothing I could do but accept the mission. I too was getting curious about this development.

_“Oh, by the way, that girl Lumia is the Guardian’s liaison for this mission. I figured I’d get you since she was your pupil and all.”_

_“That does make it easier for me Crouch, thanks.”_

_“While you’re at it, take someone with you. More people means more help right? The GRM employee will be down there to help escort you all through the property.”_

_“Thanks, I’ll go get ready and be there shortly.”_

Nagisa had heard my mission and seemed...excited? She wasn’t smiling not really, but her body language told me she was ready for a mission.

_“Satomora, I implore you to take me along.”_

_“Uh, I was gonna take you anyway.”_

_‘Oh ho ho, you couldn’t say no to Nagisa’s determination can you?’_

_“Of course not. She’s my bodyguard after all. It would be illogical to not take me along.”_

_“Well, it’s a mix of both. Anyway if you guys don’t mind waiting in the hangar, I need to change clothes and then I’ll be down there.”_

After going back to my room and changed into the clothing Ursula gave me, I met up with Nagisa and we went to the meeting area on Parum. I felt a bit apprehensive about going to anything GRM. I hoped no one recognized Nagisa from that night.

  
When we arrived, Lumia was waiting for us at the entrance to the GRM property. After giving brief introductions to Nagisa, we waited for the GRM employee to arrive.

_“It’s been a while since we last met Ami. Almost didn’t recognize you.”_

_“Really? It’s only a change of clothes Lumia.”_

_“But still, you have a different air about you now, almost grown up.”_

_“If I were being honest, when we met again on Neudaiz I had the same thoughts.”_

_“Well, I was taught by one of the best Guardians we had.”_

_“Oh, so everyone’s here?”_

Oh. No.

Not again.

I’m starting to feel like a higher power loves to see me be nervous. The GRM employee that would be escorting us was, in fact, Hyuga. I could feel every urge to face palm myself at the irony of all this. I mean, it made sense that it would be him, being the president. He wanted to know first hand what was going on with his company.

He’s been trying really hard to shake away the reputation GRM having ties with Illuminus.

Despite the fact if it wasn’t for GRM’s sacrifices we would still have Rykros floating around Gurhal.

_“Oh? Lumia and Ami? What a coincidence they send the two of you. Almost like old times.”_

I appreciate him being a more involved president, but can’t he get someone else to do his work?

I still haven’t properly recovered from our last meeting.

_“Yeah, small world. But I guess they wanted things done efficiently.”_

_“And Lumia, it’s been far too long. I haven’t seen you since I left the Guardians if I remember correctly. You’ve grown up to be a fine young woman.”_

_“Uh, thanks I guess?”_

_“Being in the Guardians, that brings back memories. I bet Ethan has trouble keeping the guys away from you.”_

_“He manages, but that’s hardly relevant to this mission Hyuga.”_

_“You’re right, you’re right. None of the other female Guardians have asked about me have they?”_

Once he said that Lumia instantly looked at me. She could tell right away I was not liking how this conversation was going. I just sighed and looked away. It’s really weird that time away hasn’t lessened my feelings for him in the slightest. Almost the opposite actually.

_“I’m pretty sure they aren’t. But why don’t you try talking to Nagisa over there?”_

Oh dear god no.

Even with the time gap, I think I can still read Hyuga’s emotions fairly well. Well, that goes without saying for anyone I think. Anyway, the moment he looked at Nagisa and adjusted his glasses I could just tell he was struggling to recall their meeting.

You honestly can’t forget someone who you’ve fought with.

Especially when you lost against them.

This could get bad, quickly.

_“Excuse me! You want me to take off my clothes?”_

_“What, no! Just your eyepatch. I need to confirm something.”_

_“My eyepatch is a part of my clothing, so it’s the same thing.”_

Oh yeah, this was getting bad.

I had to think of something before Nagisa was found out. Now that I understand why Nagisa broke into GRM that night, I couldn’t let her get in trouble. She was doing it for the sake of Gurhal, but I wasn’t sure if Hyuga would understand that.

So I did what any person could do.

I took off my jacket.

_“Ami?”_

Then I started to unlace my corset.

_“Ami! What are you doing stop!”_

I was about to pull off the corset before Hyuga’s hands stopped my progress. He was looking away embarrassed at my actions. I almost laughed at his reaction.

_“Why are you-”_

_“If you wanted to ask someone to strip, you could have just asked me ya know. I have no shame in my body, I worked hard for this.”_

_“That’s not what I mean. If I was bothering you, you should have just said so.”_

I smiled a bit.

He’s a bit more blatant in his flirting, but this was still the Hyuga I fell in love with.

I could see Nagisa mouth me a thank you as I separated from Hyuga to get myself collected. As I started to tighten up my corset, I couldn’t help but notice Hyuga’s stare. Or rather the stare at my bare shoulder.

_“That’s a nasty scar Ami.”_

He was looking at the scar that was left on me when I died that day in the ruins. It had mostly faded out, but you can still see if you were close enough like Hyuga was. I could have gotten it treated so it wouldn’t stay as a scar, but it was a reminder of that day. And besides, my tops and jackets did a good job of hiding it.

_“I got careless with a Stateria, don’t worry about it.”_

_“Ami, you’re hiding something. Your Parum dialect is coming through.”_

_“Anyway, how long have the mutated creatures been sighted?”_

I didn’t mean to blow him off like that. It’s hard to talk about your own death to someone, especially when you know they won’t believe you. He told us it wasn’t too long ago, probably a little after the incident at the research facility. But it was the fact that it was happening so frequently was what needed his direct attention. When they examined the corpses of the mutated creatures, they noticed that their genetic makeup was changed. Similar to a change to Dumans.

And by that extension, the Seed-virus most likely.

Our goal was to catch these forms for more testing about their mutations. But we would need to catch them alive. So on paper, it was just get to the areas and catch the creatures.

_Of course with them being hostile, it won’t be easy._

_“What? You want me to lure the creatures in alone!”_

_“You know you’re the best suited for this. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have any doubts Dear Ami.”_

_“Don’t you start sucking up to me now. This is BS and you know it.”_

_“I know the situation is less than ideal. But I need to stay and operate the traps.”_

_“If Nagisa and I came with you then we would startle the creatures.”_

_“I would just destroy them.”_

_“Goddammit, fine. But all of you owe me.”_

I didn’t mind the mission really. But I was just uneasy about the fact I had to do it alone. But they were right, they came as soon as I stepped out on the field. Since I used twin daggers as my main weapon, I was the fastest out of the three. I felt so bad that Ursula’s gift was already going to get ruined because of this. Anyway, the only hard part was getting out of the trap space before Hyuga could activate them.

And of course we were met with the traps malfunctioning and had to adjust to that.

Then there was a creature so strong, they broke the trap and we had to destroy it. Bola Vreemas were a new species of creatures, most likely due to the mutations from the fragments. It launches huge projectiles from its back. Normally, it would make it hard to defeat. But with Dumans on our team, it did make it bearable to defeat. It took some time, but it was defeated. After all of that we had decided to take a break.

Nagisa looked to be talking to Wynarl about something, but they were further away so I couldn’t hear. Staring at her felt familiar, seeing how stiff she was while talking. The way she nodded at Wynarl’s words. I remember those feelings well. I was the same way when I was helping seal Rykros and bring down the Illuminus. It felt odd seeing someone with that same expression.

I wondered if anyone felt this way towards me back then?

_“Ami?”_

_“Huh? Oh, Lumia it’s you. What’s up?”_

_“Nothing. Just that I noticed you staring. Nagisa reminds me a lot like Emilia back then.”_

_“It’s not just you.”_

_“She talks to herself a lot and moves kind of odd. Like she was talking to someone.”_

A part of me was interested how people who couldn’t see the Ancients saw us who could. I guess it would seem like we’re talking to ourselves, or an imaginary person.

_“It’s more than that, I think. I see a lot of similarities between the four of you.”_

_“Really now Hyuga? Enlighten us.”_

_“Well, for starters you four are very wonderful to look at.”_

I tell myself I don’t do jealousy.

But I swear, him talking about other women this way is not sitting well with me.

_“Be serious please Hyuga.”_

_“It’s partially true. But Nagisa has this serious look on her face. It gets so intense at times. Like she’s bearing something all on her own. Ethan was like that too once upon a time.”_

_“My brother?”_

_“Yes, when he was wanted for that attempted assassination. There are times in which you want to share the burden, but can’t. Words and facial expressions aren’t enough. Nagisa looks to be having a time like that. You wouldn’t know anything about that, do you Ami?”_

_“Eh, me?”_

_“She is your client right? I would assume you or your boss would have done a background check before accepting her request. I know you’re not the type to just jump in without any information.”_

_“That was a younger, more impulsive me. Over the years I’ve grown to learn that I’m meant to learn things when I’m supposed to. The only thing I can do is hope it’s not too late when I do. But even if I did, that’s not your business Hyuga. You know the relationship between a client and bodyguard is built on trust. I don’t plan on betraying her trust.”_

_“I know, I trust you. This topic has certainly gotten a bit heavy.”_

It seemed that Nagisa had noticed us studying her.

_“Is something the matter? You all are looking at me with such a deep look.”_

_“Nothing Nagisa. Just admiring the way the sun makes your face radiant.”_

_“Excuse me? Can you simplify that for me please?”_

_“Goddammit Hyuga.”_

_“This is the first time I’ve seen someone so oblivious to pick up lines. Hmm, I guess people do react to things differently.”_

_“I swear Hyuga it seems you got more goofy since we last saw each other. What happened to my orientation instructor?”_

_“You make it sound like I’m thirty Ami, I’m barely over twenty.”_

_“That’s what makes it bad.”_

I know I wasn’t suppose to fault him for any of these things, since he has no idea about my feelings towards him. It gets hard to keep it in sometimes. So I completely avoided the questioning stare and continued on with the mission.

We arrived to the next area soon enough. The first glance brought back some unwanted memories. The plains looked to be contaminated by the Seed. I felt my heart race at the scene. I could never forget the scene when the G-Colony was contaminated during the Illuminus attack so many years ago.

_“I feared for this.”_

_“Hyuga, what is it?”_

_“I’ve heard reports that the mutation has begun to reach critical levels. But not this bad. The creatures at this point look the same, but are considerably stronger. I believe our weapons will stand no match against them.”_

_“Hyuga, that’s not the problem! Why does this look like a Seed contamination?”_

_“I wish I could have a concrete answer. But I can only speculate that the mutations are starting to affect the landscape as well.”_

Lumia looked to already be analyzing our situation.

Well, she is a part of Intelligence.

_“I see some weaponry from the Seed. I’m sure they’re powerful enough to take out the mutated creatures.”_

_“Perfect, I believe I have the activation codes for them and the shields in the company database.”_

_“Great, Ami you can use that to defeat them. We’ll stay here to activate them remotely.”_

_“What! No! I can’t.”_

_“Ami, you’re the only one of us who c-”_

_“Don’t you finish that statement Lumia. You and Hyuga should know what I can’t do this.”_

_“But Satomora, you did the other mission just fine.”_

_“Because we were dealing with just capturing creatures. You’re having me go out there alone fighting against creatures that we have to use military grade weaponry on. Plus this area reminds me of the Seed.”_

I was a few moments away from a full blown panic attack before I felt hands on my shoulders. I looked to see that it was Hyuga. He looked concerned for my being. I was touched.

_“I know we’re asking a lot from you Ami.”_

_“I know why you want to refuse, but you’re the only one who can do this. We’ll back you up if it gets too much, I promise.”_

I took his hands into mines and nodded.

_“Okay, I’ll try.”_

I took a deep breath, I wasn’t comfortable with this at all. I felt a bit of my panic towards the Seed come back. I didn’t think it would be a full blown panic attack, but it made me feel uneasy. I wasn’t a Guardian at the time when Seed contamination was more common. However, I still couldn’t get out of my mind the G-Colony becoming contaminated during the Illuminus attack.

It was scene I hoped never to witness again.

I took a running start towards the weaponry. The plan of the mission was that I would give a signal to them to activate the shields while I use the weapons. It was a bit of an adjustment, since I never received training on how to handle military-grade weapons. It would be easy to just let the shields run while I fire away, but they took up so much energy that there would be times that the shields had to deactivate or the whole weapon would overheat.

We couldn’t afford the weapons to breakdown.

It was only a minute, but that minute could feel like hours.

Then we would repeat over and over again.

It didn’t help matters that I was facing a variety of creatures. What weapon would work for one type, might not work as well for another. And the weapons were quite a distance from one another. I guess I was the fastest so I really was the only one who could do this mission. I eventually got used to the motions that I was able to make good progress.

But of course, missions can never go perfectly for me.

I would trip.

_“Ami!”_

_“Satomora!”_

I tripped trying to finish up the last creature wave. I felt an intense heat as a fire attack hit me. I felt myself get blasted back a distance. I was thankful for my lineshield; it blocked me from the worst of it. It honestly reminded me of when I was caught in that blast in Neudaiz. I don’t think my lineshield would withstand a repeat. I popped a monomate as I shook off the after-effects and ran to the nearest turret. This wave a combination of flying and ground based creatures so avoiding the fire attacks was hard.

_“Hyuga! Now!”_

_“On it!”_

I had never felt such relief at seeing the shield go up. I couldn’t sit there amazed for long, I had maybe two minutes before the shield would go down. I pulled the triggers on the turret. I was even more relived at seeing that it was the machine gun turret I got in to. It felt satisfying feeling the vibrations of the bullets as they hit their targets. Slowly, the wave thinned out to nothing. I jumped off the turret as the others ran up to me.

_“You did it, Ami. I was worried for a bit when that attack hit you.”_

_“Of course Ami would pull through. She isn’t the Guardian Ace for nothing.”_

_“Guardian Ace?”_

_“A nickname I had in the Guardians Nagisa. I left that moniker a long time ago.”_

The intensity of the mission warranted another break before venturing into the Relics. In my opinion I deserved it. I took off my jacket in an attempt to cool off from the previous area. The slight breeze that came from the Relics was helping a bit.

_“How are you feeling Ami?”_

_“I’m fine. Just a bit winded.”_

_“Do you still...you know?”_

_“Hmm, that’s hard to say. Not really, way less than when we were Guardians. But sometimes.”_

_“Alright. I’m sorry for making you go through that. I wouldn’t if I didn’t believe in you.”_

_“I know...thanks.”_

_“I’m going to check up on Lumia to see if she needs any help setting up.”_

_“Don’t hit on her Hyuga. Unless you want me and Ethan after you.”_

_“Your words wound me Ami.”_

I noticed that Wynarl had appeared to talked to Nagisa. I figured it was something important so I made my way over to see what was going on.

_‘Oh Ami darling, you’re just in time. I was just telling Nagisa about how I have fond memories of this particular Relic site.’_

_“It’s still creepy when you add darling. Anyway, you have fond memories?”_

_‘Yep, I was sleeping here for a long time before Nagisa came along. I guess you can call it my home?’_

_“I wonder if all the Relics housed Ancients...”_

_“Could you stop bringing that up Wynarl? I’ve heard it enough.”_

_‘Now now Nagisa, Ami here hasn’t heard it. It’s been a long time since I’ve had fresh ears to my story so let me this once.’_

Wynarl then told me of his time in the Relics, specifically the Denes one. It also was the one that had housed the red tablet. It should have been impossible since I had seen Kumhan have it in his possession.

But then again, he had gotten it through the memories of AMF soldiers stationed there manifested through subspace.

So it was completely possible that Nagisa was in possession of the actual red tablet during that time.

Just how long has Nagisa been on her personal mission?

Nagisa looked uncomfortable as we talked about the time, so I let it drop for now. But not without Wynarl promising me more of the story later. I tied my jacket around my waist and made my way to Lumia. Right beside her was a small machine.

_“What’s that?”_

_“An Environmental Research Machine. From this point on, this investigation is done for the Guardians.”_

_“Environmental Research Machine?”_

_“It’s why we requested to partner up with GRM for this. Somewhere in the Relics, something is giving off similar photon signatures like the mutated creatures we faced earlier. So R &D had this made in advance. I still need to fine tune it a bit so feel free to scan the area.”_

I had did all the scanning I did so I just checked my inventory. It felt good to actually use my own weapons again. The Relics seemed calmed now, but if Lumia said was correct then I would need to keep my guard up regardless. A few minutes later, Lumia was done with the machine’s set up so we got underway with the second half of the mission. The creatures were of the usual kind when exploring the Relics, just more hostile. But it wasn’t as bad as when were were outdoors. We just had to be careful of the machine not taking any damage while navigating through the various checkpoints.

Of course nothing about this mission was simple.

Through the course of the mission through the Relics, there were a few environmental hazards. In those, they relied on me again to make the right call. It would be easy just do mow through the hazards. But we had to be careful that the machine took as little damage as possible, to not tamper with the data it was collecting. They can’t examine the data if it breaks mid-mission.

It felt like I was back in the Guardians, if I was being perfectly honest.

_“Ami, what do you think is the cause of all these current events in Gurhal?”_

_“That’s unexpected of you Hyuga. Anyway why ask me? I just do what I’m told.”_

_“That’s not true. I remember you telling me that you couldn’t protect Gurhal if you don’t know what’s going on around you.”_

_“That was a very long time ago. But honestly, I don’t know really. I can speculate.”_

_“The creature mutations, the discovery of Dumans, the subspace incident, and the Seed. For all of it to happen in span of less than a decade. Alongside with the resource shortage going on as well.”_

_“Now that you’ve brought it up like that, it is a lot of bad things happening so quickly. All because of the Seed invasion.”_

_“I don’t think that’s quite it Lumia.”_

_“Eh?”_

_“I think we need to look more into the seal of the Seed.”_

_“Rykros?”_

They both brought up good points. But if I had to pick a side, then I would agree with Hyuga. All these things started to happen once we sealed them up. And the fact we did it on Rykros as well.

I wonder if the seal was starting to weaken?

It was no point in dwelling on it until we had more concrete evidence.

Hyuga wanted Nagisa’s opinion on the matter, but it seemed that she was already further ahead. I had seen her like this once before, on Neudaiz. So I caught up with her.

_“Is one of Them nearby?”_

_“Satomora? Ah, yes. It feels like it. Wynarl?”_

_‘If you can feel it, it’s highly likely.’_

_“We’ll have to be careful since Lumia and Hyuga are here.”_

_“Of course.”_

We navigated deeper into the Relics. It soon became apparent that the mutation had originated from here. With those and the awakened Stateria, the site was becoming harder than what we initially thought. Be we did manage the machine to its destination safely.

You know, until it blew up.

_“What the!?”_

_“Is everyone alright?”_

_“I’m fine.”_

_“Nagisa? Ami?”_

_“I’m good.”_

_“Nothing worth reporting.”_

_“What was that?”_

There was a sudden spike in photon levels up ahead, which overloaded the machine. Resulting in its explosion. Luckily, the data got transferred to the Guardians information network before it exploded. I would have been really pissed if we did all that work for nothing. I could see that Nagisa had that determined look in her eyes again.

A fragment was up ahead then.

_“It’s here!”_

_“Nagisa, hold on!”_

I chased after her into the Relics clearing. When we stopped, we happened to be in this outdoor area. The winds were blowing pretty strong around us. It reminded me of a coliseum. Nagisa had stopped in the middle of it, her sword drawn. When the others had caught up with us, the wind was concentrating into one mass in front of us all in a tornado. I felt something was coming from that tornado, so I readied my daggers.

_“Something’s coming.”_

_“How do you figure Nagisa?”_

_“Sixth sense.”_

_“You sure? It’s not because we’re both Dumans are we?”_

_“It has nothing to do with it.”_

_“She’s right Hyuga, I can feel it too.”_

_“Ah, well we’ll figure it out later.”_

The winds formed into a massive creature. It looked like it came from the Ragan species. It looked to have a stone-like texture skin instead of scales and the wings reminding me of dagger blades. Seeing it against our party set up, we had our work cut out for us. I changed to a rifle instead of daggers. My specialty wasn’t going to help out here.

_“Lumia, I know your technic levels are the best out of us all. Support duty and only use offensive technics when you think it’ll fit.”_

_“E-Of course Ami.”_

_“Nagisa, Hyuga, distract it. I can’t get as physical as I would like because my body is simply not meant for it. Dumans are a lot more durable than us Humans. If you see an opening take it.”_

_“Understood.”_

_“Getting back into your commander duties eh Ami?”_

_“Hush, you guys elected me as party leader in the first place. I’m just doing what I can.”_

Secretly, it did feel good to lead like this. With Hyuga and Lumia, it felt like we were Guardians again. I took a step back and looked through my scope for the creature. I had noticed the creature, Dyla Bravas, had an affinity to Light photons. That plus using the gusts its wings made getting closer to it a challenge. None of us carried dark photon weapons, so damage was minimal.

I was impressed with Hyuga and Lumia. Despite the time apart, they had really improved their skills.

_“Ami, I heard something break from the wings!”_

_“That must be its armor, keep going!”_

It took a while but the Dyla Bravas was finally defeated. We were worn out and windblown, but alive. We had taken care of it. It’s disturbing to see the mutations so strong first hand. If the mutations kept up at this rate, Gurhal had less time than we thought. I took notice that the first free moment she had, Nagisa went inside a place on the opposite side of the arena.

Most likely to the fragment.

Being as quiet as I could, I slipped out to follow her. The two of us stared at the fragment. Those ill feelings coming back from the other times.

_“Satomora, the 109th fragment.”_

_“I see. What do you plan to do after you get all the fragments?”_

For a moment, I thought I saw Nagisa’s expression turn grim.

But she never answered my question.

_“So, you’re planning to steal this gem too Nagisa?”_

Yeah, this wasn’t good at all.

Nagisa and I were surprised that we were being watched. By Hyuga no less. Seems he noticed that we were missing and followed. I thought he didn’t recognize Nagisa from that night, but I guess you really can’t forget someone you’ve faced. That and Nagisa’s personality is unique.

_“That was pretty deceitful of you. I figured since you were together with a dear friend, there was nothing more than a coincidence. But the feeling from the Dyla Bravas, I feel the exact same feeling coming from you and that gem. Why do you have such a malevolent power in your body?”_

_‘For him to feel that, he had to be focusing hard. There’s more to this president than we suspect.’_

_“The other night, a similar gem was taken from GRM’s property. I’ll need to detain you for questioning.”_

_“I wasn’t able to fool you?”_

_“Of course not Nagisa. Maybe under different circumstances it might have. And you as well Ami. You’ve known that she was the culprit of the theft the other night and neglected to tell me. I’ll have to question your motives as well. Have you really only worked for Nagisa recently or maybe you’ve had from the beginning.”_

I stood there in silence.

How could Hyuga assume such a thing?

Well, if he really wanted to think that…

_“Maybe I have? Nagisa and I are working together. Question is, what you going to do about it President Ryght?”_

_“Satomora no! Don’t listen to her, I’m in this al-”_

I cut Nagisa off by putting my hand in front of her. I shook my head at her. Even if it’s just a misunderstanding, I had to protect her. It’s my mission, my duty.

But even more than that.

She’s my friend.

I put on my sunglasses and jacket. I didn’t want my expression to betray me, Hyuga could read me well enough. I equipped my Spark Fist knuckles. It was a weapon that relied more of my physical strength than the higher grade weapons I had equipped.

I didn’t want to seriously hurt Hyuga.

But I wanted to do this. Maybe a bit of me wanted to see how far I’ve come since our last encounter.

At the expense of Hyuga misunderstanding the situation.

He didn’t need to know that of course.

_“Ami, you’re helping a criminal. Don’t you care about your reputation or the reputation of your firm if you do this?”_

_“Nope, they asked me to protect Nagisa and that I shall do. No matter who it is that wants to harm her. We’re not Guardians anymore, there’s nothing stopping this from happening!”_

I threw the first punch. Hyuga has always been quick to adapt. Maybe even more so now that he’s a Duman. That much I can admit. So I tried a kick instead. I could see what Ursula meant with the material being different on my clothes. I couldn’t have been this flexible if it was normal material on this form fitting outfit. But he still avoided my attacks. I noticed his body language was uneasy. Nor was he trying to attack me either.

It pissed me off.

He wasn’t taking my threat seriously.

So I had to bump up the stakes to make him realize.

I changed the knuckles to my twin daggers. He seemed surprised at my sudden weapon change. Even more so when I swung at him with a ferocious intention.

_“You better start taking me seriously Hyuga!”_

_“Ami, please. I don’t want to fight you!”_

_“Shut up! If you don’t come at me seriously, I will kill you!”_

I meant to deliver a slash to emphasize my point, but he blocked it with his saber. The look on his face was unreadable. I stepped back, but barely in time to block an incoming slash. Soon the roles were switched with me being on the defensive. I can see why he won that tournament when he was a trainee. These were the skills I had admired and somewhat jealous of when we were on that Hive.

Being a Duman just only improved on his skills when he was Human.

And I was having fun fighting him like this.

This was really the first time he and I clashed weapons. There was the time he transformed into Seed-Venas, but I never considered that him. We kept up our attacks for a long while, neither of us was letting down in our intensity. I could hear Nagisa in the distance telling us to stop. She didn’t know our shared history, but she knew that there was something deeper. From the corner of my eye, I could see Hyuga’s hands wrap into a blue aura.

Seriously? He’s going to use an Infinity Blast?

The blue glow extended down to form two saber shapes. Like twin sabers made purely from photons. It was my first time experiencing an Infinity Blast, so I didn’t know what to expect. He came at me faster than I anticipated. Almost like he was flying towards me. I blocked the first incoming attack with my weapons, but I didn’t have time to block the second one in his left as it hit me square in the chest. The force knocked me off my feet to the floor as I slid back first into a wall. I felt my sunglasses fly off in the midst of that.

It wasn’t a lethal blow, but my body probably can’t take another attack like that.

But he still was not taking me seriously. If he wanted, he could knock me unconscious.

I slammed my fist in frustration. Maybe I was too into it, but I wanted him to attack me with everything like I was doing to him. I wasn’t the weak girl in his eyes who had be saved from a Seed-form on her orientation. I had grown in these years both mentally and physically.

I would prove that to him.

_“Good to see that you’re taking my words seriously. But it isn’t enough!”_

_“Ami stop! I don’t want to keep fighting you!”_

_“Satomora, please stop!”_

_“But I guess that means I have to be more serious as well.”_

I got up unsteadily. My body was sore from trying to keep up with him and from his Infinity Blast, but I glared at him as much as I could. I put out my left hand. If Hyuga wanted to use his Duman special abilities, then fine I would use the special abilities us Humans and Newmans can do. I could feel the coldness circle around my hand. Hyuga could see what was happening.

_“A-Ami! Please stop! I’ll explain everything to him. Just stop fighting!”_

But not today.

Nagisa calling me by my first name, finally, broke me out of my concentration. I was stunned. I didn’t realize how much the fight was bothering her until then. It was odd to hear her stammer my name like that.

It was pretty cute.

Now I can see why Wyna-

I’ve been hanging around him too much.

_“You sure?”_

_“Yes, I’ll explain everything.”_

_“Well, okay then. I concede Hyuga. That was a pretty good spar, even though you didn’t take me seriously.”_

The utter look of confusion on his face almost made me laugh. Seeing that look made it completely worth it, even though my body was going to protest to it in a few hours.

_“What the-? Ami!”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“You’re telling me you had nothing to do with that incident at the research site?”_

_“Er, nope. I didn’t get hired by Nagisa until after that.”_

_“Why didn’t you just say so instead of this charade?”_

_“For starters, you assumed that I did. So I just let you keep misunderstanding the situation. I should be pissed that you thought that. We’ve known each other for years, fought against the Seed together. You know I wouldn’t take any missions that compromise my morals. Little Wing knows of my past and they respect it. I know you’re thinking about the company but still.”_

_“Ami, I-”_

_“Let’s just drop it.”_

I was still a bit mad that he didn’t take me seriously but it wasn’t the time or place to discuss it. I leaned to a wall to gather myself while Nagisa explained her mission to him. It was pretty much the same explanation she gave me on Neudaiz. She did explain that because she absolutely wants to make sure that the fragments are secure, she gets hostile when others are interested in it.

If someone malicious had gotten their hands on them…

...that wasn’t a pleasant thought.

_“Hmm, if I were to be honest it doesn’t sound convincing.”_

_“I know, but it’s the truth. Please, just believe me.”_

_“And do you believe this Ami?”_

_“You’re asking me?”_

_“Ami your dialect. Are you angry with me?”_

_“That’s not the issue. Anyway, I do. I’ve been on a mission once before with her and have seen this upfront. There’s a lot of details that I personally don’t know, but I feel it in my heart that Nagisa is right.”_

_“...One moment.”_

I saw him activate his communit and started speaking into it. Hyuga looked a bit stressed, but he covered it up well. I heard a few approvals before he turned towards us again.

_“All the data about that gem theft the other night has been erased.”_

_“Excuse me?”_

_“You’re free to do as you please now. I believe you. The explanation leaves a lot to be desired, but I feel that you’re telling the truth. There really are things that words cannot express. I trust you can finish up with just Ami here right?”_

_“..! Yes! We’ll be fine.”_

_“Well since you two don’t need an escort, I declare the mission complete. On behalf of GRM thank you. I’ll take my leave.”_

Lumia had finally caught up with us. I had to wonder how did she not hear the commotion going on. Just a few minutes ago a full on fight was going on. She must have been fully absorbed in her work in examining the mutated Dyla Bravas.

_“Hyuga, guys! Don’t run off so suddenly.”_

_“Oh sorry and you just came all this way too. The mission is over.”_

_“Eh? What about Ami and Nagisa?”_

_“Oh that, Emilia called them not too long ago and asked to bring some research back. It’s best we not interfere.”_

_“I didn’t hear anything from her.”_

Nagisa ran over to Hyuga to say something. Then she bowed while he smiled. I guess she was thanking him.

_“Wynarl.”_

_‘Yes Ami darling?’_

_“Stop that. Anyway, earlier you asked about my feelings on the Duman situation. I want to stop it. Hyuga had contracted the Seed-Virus when we were both Guardians. The treatments were rough on him, but he couldn’t escape the mutations. He even transformed into a Seed-form a few times. I thought I had to kill him then. But even now, my hands are still stained. I had to kill a child that had succumbed to it. I heard the Duman transformation is just as rough. I don’t want anyone to go through that. I don’t want my hands stained like that again. I’m willing to do anything to help stop this.”_

_‘Anything?’_

_“Yeah.”_

Nagisa had ran back to me with a smile on her face. I was surprised by the expression. Sometimes she would smirk, but never smile. Seeing her smile broke me into a smile.

_“I can’t stop grinning. What is this feeling? Am I sick?”_

_“I assure you Nagisa, it isn’t a sickness.”_

_‘Nope, what you’re feeling now is joy.’_

_“Joy? This feeling is joy? It’s a good feeling.”_

_“Yes it is. It feels good to have more people believing in you now right?”_

_“Sato-”_

_“Nope, it’s Ami now. I don’t accept name takebacks.”_

_“Ami...I’ll try to meet everyone’s expectations.”_

_“Just do your best. That’s all we ask for.”_

_‘Ladies, we do have a fragment to collect.’_

_“Right.”_

I think it was this mission I came to realize how heartfelt Nagisa was in her mission. She had been doing this alone for so long. Even when she was alone she kept going. I wanted to support her more now than anything else. Even when it seems like we were in the wrong, I wanted to support her.

It’s the least I can do.


	3. In the End, You're Irreplaceable

After Nagisa absorbed the fragment from Parum, she passed out again. So I took her back to Clad 6 and let her back into my room. By then, I felt the effects of fighting with a Duman take it’s toll on my body.

Hyuga was powerful, even more powerful than I imagined.

Even though I was mad he wasn’t taking the fight seriously, I was a little thankful he did hold back his strength.

Since Nagisa was occupying my bed I laid on the chaise lounge that came with my room theme. My whole body felt store, more so in my chest where the blast had hit me. I had refused any sort of treatment. I think sleep would just help out and maybe a mate if it got too painful. I was about to doze off before I felt a presence at the foot the chaise. It was Wynarl. He seemed to be in thought over something.

It was weird. He’s normally not this quiet.

I could really see the similarities between him and Mika when he was like this.

_“Is something wrong?”_

_‘No, nothing. Just assessing today’s events. Ami darling, are you sure that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to help Nagisa? There’s no turning back once you say yes.’_

_“I’m serious, I don’t go back on my word.”_

_‘Right, I get that feeling from you. You’re kind, maybe too kind for your own good. Just remember that no matter what Nagisa does, she really wants to save Gurhal.’_

_“I believe her.”_

_‘Good. Now rest up.’_

I wasn’t going to argue with him at this point so I did. It felt peaceful to get some rest. I don’t remember running myself so ragged. But with how fast everything has been happening, I needed it. I woke up a few hours later, Nagisa was still resting. I assume Wynarl was resting too. I felt refreshed and kind of glad to have some time to myself. It’s been pretty rare since I became a part of Little Wing. I took time to catch up on the bureaucratic stuff I needed to catch up on, checking messages and writing reports. I was halfway through before my visiphone started to ring.

It was Dad.

_“Hey Dad..”_

_“Ami, are you okay?”_

_“Yes, I’m fine.”_

_“Hyuga and I talked about the mission.”_

Goddammit.

_“Dad I’m fine. I was a Guardian, I’ve taken a lot worse.”_

_“I know. I can’t help but worry, I am your father. And something looked to bother Hyuga. When I tried to ask him he didn’t respond. I know you two are friends, so did something happen?”_

_I was silent while looking down at my hands. I guess my actions really did strike something with him. Or maybe something more? I knew Dad was expecting an answer._

_“I’m not sure, to be honest. He seemed fine before he left.”_

_“I see, well whatever it is I hope you two are okay.”_

For a while, we were silent. Our contact has been limited since we were busy with our jobs. But I guess that was how he and I operated.

_“Ami, I have a day off soon. How about we spend it together visiting Megami. It’s getting close to the anniversary.”_

_“Since her death...I know. I don’t think I’ll have a day off for a while. Once I’m done with my current client I’ll visit Mom.”_

We said our goodbyes and then I turned off my terminal. I noticed Wynarl was looking at me. It was odd to see him with his current look. Almost analytical. It added to the budding feeling that something had changed. I wasn’t sure about what changed, just that it happened. I hoped it was a good change, my feelings rarely stray in times like this.

_‘So that’s the famous Professor Tusakanova? He’s such a doting parent.’_

_“Yep that’s Dad. He doesn’t really see himself as famous or anything like that. He just trying living his life path. Anyway, since we have down time I’m going to go tune my weapons. I’ll be back shortly.”_

I went over to the weapons shop on Clad 6 and tuned up my weapons for the next mission. It was still nagging me about the feeling I had earlier. I just hope that when the change was revealed I would be ready for it. It seemed that the more crystals we were finding, the more severe the mutations were occurring. I wonder if it meant we were getting close to completing Nagisa’s goal.

What would happen when we get there?

I finished restocking and made my way back to my room. I could hear Nasiga and Wynarl murmur about something, but didn’t really pay attention. It’s not any of my business to listen in on their conversations anyway. She looked a little startled when she noticed me in the room.

I guess she was having one of her memory lapses.

_“No leads on where to go next?”_

_“None, unfortunately. It would be nice if I could get at least a small hint.”_

_‘Lets try asking Ami next. Ami darling, do you know where that mutation information is being collected at? With so little fragments left to go, Nagisa’s having a hard time pinpointing them.’_

_“I thought that would be the opposite? And stop adding darling. Personally I don’t know specifically. Crouch might, since he’s the one who has been giving me the missions in regards to the mutations.”_

_“Crouch?”_

_‘Remember Nagisa? You met him when you first got here.’_

_“I see...Well then.”_

Nagisa hopped off the bed and left my room in silence. I wonder why they would need to ask me about that. At any rate, I followed her out into the main hub of Clad 6, then to see the office door to Little Wing slide close.

And then I heard a crash.

This wasn’t good. At all.

I ran over to the office as fast as I could. I arrived at the sight of Nagisa holding Crouch at sword point. I immediately began to swear at it.

_“Just give me the information I require, and you will not be harmed.”_

_“What the hell? You think that you can get away with this? All of Little Wing would be on your ass.”_

_‘So that’s what she meant to d-Nagisa! Put that sword away right now! You think that will make him give you the information? It just screams, “Oh hey I’m super dangerous, thanks”!’_

_“Why shouldn’t I? I clearly remember this being the most efficient way to retrieve information.”_

_‘It’s those kind of memories you should definitely forget about first!’_

Eventually Nagisa relented and let him go. Then I got to apologizing. While I believe in Nagisa and all that good stuff, I didn’t want to lose my job at Little Wing over this.

_“Crouch, I’m so so so sorry about that. Nagisa doesn’t know any better.”_

_‘Go on Nagisa, don’t let Ami take up your responsibility to apologize.’_

_“Hmph fine. I’m really sorry for what I did. Better?”_

_“Pfft, like that really sounded from your heart.”_

Nagisa, really wasn’t that good in apologizing. At least Crouch thought so. After the situation had calmed down, he wondered why Nagisa was willing to go that far for some information. She didn’t elaborate, just that it was vital to her mission if she got it. Even if she told the entire truth, it would be hard to prove since the fragments are inside of her.

But for the slightest moment, I thought I saw Crouch’s eyes lighten up.

_“Emilia had a similar situation didn’t she? This girl is almost the same as her.”_

_“Not almost. But basically it’s the same Crouch.”_

_“You don’t say? You seem to have the talent of getting troubling partners Ami. Tell you what? I can’t confirm this information just yet, but let me look into a lead for you two.”_

_“You’d do that?”_

_“Yep, I’m an adult so I won’t lie. If I find some truth into it, I’ll let you know.”_

We thanked Crouch for his help in this and Nagisa got around to actually apologizing to him. That brought a good laugh out of him. Just because Nagisa actually apologized for her behavior, she was many times more tolerable. He suggested that we kill some time while he was working on our information. So we left the office to the cafe to think about our next step.

That led to an interesting conversation.

_“Ami are you feeling better?”_

_“Huh? Oh! Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been through worse.”_

_“I feel bad that you were fighting on my behalf.”_

_“Don’t be Nagisa, I maybe have had my own selfish reasons for doing what I did.”_

_‘Hyuga, wasn’t it? He’s a powerful Duman. But he just recently underwent mutations right Ami?’_

_“Why ask me?”_

_‘You two are friends right? You seem like the type who know things concerning him.’_

_“Not even going to reply with that, but yes. If rumors are right, he underwent the mutations about six months ago.”_

_“I see. He hasn’t completely accepted the change then. And because he doesn’t accept it, he’s not at full power.”_

_“Accepted? Is that why he lost against you that night Nagisa?”_

_“It might be the case. Or, he hasn’t accepted it because he’s afraid of his power.”_

Afraid?

I couldn’t blame anyone if they were afraid of being a Duman. One moment, you’re human and then the next you’re on the path to becoming a Duman and there’s no reversal once the transition starts. It just felt odd to hear afraid and Hyuga in the same sentence. He didn’t seem like the type to be afraid.

But then again, there was that time he was doubtful of himself…

Anyway, that had led to Wynarl asking when did Nagisa become a Duman. I was curious as well. She just seemed so knowledgeable about the race for the short time they’ve been here. Her answer was a bit unnerving.

_“From the beginning.”_

When Wynarl asked for clarification, Nagisa just replied that she’s been a Duman from the start. She doesn’t remember being anything before a Duman. Not even her childhood or her parents. I felt a tug at my chest. Hilde’s words from years ago were ringing true.

_“This topic is getting a bit depressing. Anyway, I’m going to do some VR missions.”_

_“Ah, I’ll join you Ami. It’s the least I can do.”_

_“I’d appreciate it.”_

So the two of us did missions while waiting for Crouch to come back to us on the information. It was a welcomed distraction from what we were dealing with currently. Watching Nagisa during the missions helped me in how to better wield swords. I figured since she can wield a sword so easily with her frame, it wouldn’t hurt to make some observations to apply to my own wielding.

After our second run of missions, Crouch had contacted us. It seemed he pulled through and wanted to share what he found out. Nagisa seemed excited, I suppose? Well, Wynarl did say that there were only a handful of fragments left.

When we got there, Crouch was waiting for us. While he didn’t have exact information, other than what we got on the mission with Lumia and Hyuga, he found a hint that could set us on the right track. He figured it would be better if we heard the information from the informant ourselves.

Who should be showing up in the next few moments.

_“I’m here!”_

_“Yuto, you certainly came here fast and in a hurry.”_

So it was Yuto?

Yuto was a newman, beast hybrid boy I met on my first mission as a part of Little Wing. His village was attacked by Shizuru, who was being controlled by Kumhan at the time, to look for one of the gates to Maghara.

He’s a kind boy. A bit eccentric and not really book smart but kind. Sometimes his boundless energy can be hard to deal with. Downright exhausting sometimes.

_“Who’s this?”_

_“Your informant.”_

_“Crouch, you promised pudding. A really big one. Where is it?”_

_“Calm down, I got it for ya. It’s in the cafe, had it made especially for you. But shouldn’t you tell them about your secret training area?”_

_“After Pudding Time!”_

...and just like that he’s gone again.

Nagisa had this odd look on her face after Yuto left. I suppose she was trying to process someone like Yuto. I think the closest to his energy would be Wynarl.

Now that’s creepy to think of a millennia old being has the same energy of a teen boy.

_“Hey Wynarl?”_

_‘Yes Nagisa?’_

_“What is pudding exactly?”_

I stood there, legitimately shocked.

Nagisa didn’t know what pudding was?

Well I learned that once Yuto got into his pudding mode, there was no getting him out of it. So we might as well wait it out. I took Nagisa to the cafe, where Yuto was already sitting. I had ordered some pudding for Nagisa while I got myself a slice of cake with tea.

I don’t admit it, but one of my weaknesses is sweets.

It sounds surprising, but since I don’t really have the skills to make sweets I appreciate when I can get them.

I wasn’t the only one though.

_“This pudding is actually yummy. The texture is so weird but it balances out with the flavors.”_

_“See? See!”_

_‘Is it really that interesting? Well, I guess it is since Nagisa isn’t listening at all.’_

Wynarl was not kidding. Nagisa was eating it down like it was the last food on the planet.

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Nagisa eat.

_“It’s very yummy. Probably the yummiest ever!”_

_‘Ah, I suppose so. Wait! You can see me?’_

_“Of course I can Mister. I know that’s Nagisa, so who are you?”_

_“He had a bond with Mika as well as being part of the Kasch clan. He helped Emilia and I with Kumhan.”_

_‘Oh, okay. That explains it then.’_

After introductions, Yuto had told us he had been training on Moatoob. There was an area he went to that always gave him a bad feeling. Whenever he tried to discover the source of the bad feelings, he would find mutated creatures. So it seemed that would be our destination.

Not before more pudding however.

When everyone was full on sweets, we took the shuttle to one of the rain forests on Moatoob. It still surprises me to see that the mostly desert planet had areas of lush foliage. It still would be a lot faster if we could take the shuttle all the way to the area Yuto was talking about. But I assume it couldn’t be easily accessible.

Yuto, being is eccentric self, ran off without us.

_“Is he always like this?”_

_“Yeah, if you don’t want to get lost we should catch up as soon as possible.”_

So Nagisa and I made a mad rush to catch up with Yuto. He’s one determined person, that much I can give him credit for. We noticed that the further inside we went, traps were going off. Why would traps be in a remote area like this? I began to get a bad feeling about all of this place too.

We finally caught up with him when we took a break in a cave.

Apparently, he had been watching us when Nagisa and I fought guard machines.

_“Hey Ami? I get a creepy feeling from her.”_

_“Nagisa?”_

_“Yeah. Right now she’s okay to be around. But when she fights, I get this frightening strength from her. And then it disappears again.”_

A frightening strength?

Hyuga said something similar now that I remember.

I forget that Yuto is really observant when he really wants to.

I have to keep in mind his feelings on this matter.

_“Why are you two looking at me so intently?”_

_“Nagisa, can I have a word with you privately?”_

I figured I should at least tell her what was going on. She deserved to know, it could be unintentional from her side.

_“Yes Ami?”_

_“Well, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but you’re coming off as a big cold hearted when you fight. I know why you act this way, but Yuto is concerned. You don’t want to give the wrong impression.”_

_“I see...I’m so used to doing this alone, I don’t consider anyone else. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings from here on, so I apologize.”_

_“I know why you’re the way you are, so don’t worry about me.”_

Wynarl deemed that it was a perfect time to point out Nagisa’s shortcomings. I was frustrated at him for doing that. Nagisa was slowly trying to be a better person, no need to remind her that she had a lot of work to do. I know Wynarl is ultimately trying to help her, but still. Anyway, he suggested that she cleared the air with Yuto the same way she did with Emilia and me.

_“Yuto, may I have a moment of your time?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“Well you see-”_

_“Shh! Something’s coming!”_

_“An enemy?”_

Son of a-

It’s a De Rol Le.

Out of all the creatures on Gurhal that I have faced, the De Rol Le species are my least favorite. They are very ranged focused enemies. Since I am a close quarters fighter, it makes an otherwise simple fight needlessly long. I always pack a handgun or rifle just in case, but I don’t have the same proficiency as someone who’s a ranged specialist. With Yuto and Nagisa, it did help to chip away at its hp. But it still took longer than I would like.

So another break was needed.

_“Sorry about that Yuto.”_

_‘It’s alright. But you wanted to ask me about something?”_

_“Ah yes. Please fight me.”_

...what?

Apparently, the “clear the air” suggestion concluded to Nagisa wanting to fight Yuto. Now that I think about it, that was how Emilia and I met her. Wynarl pointed out that asking for a fight was making an even bigger misunderstanding.

_“It isn’t anything like that. Just that you look ‘dangerous’.”_

Yuto had explained that when she was fighting, she looked as if she didn’t care if she died in the process. He was saying that Nagisa should have the will to live. As long as she had that, then everything was going to be fine.

I smiled a little.

Yuto is a really wise person.

A few more minutes of rest and we made our way out of the cave. I shivered at the sudden change to our snowy landscape. If I hadn’t known already, I would think that snow in Moatoob was impossible. These were Yuto’s training grounds. I could see why he would choose it too. It’s was a very different climate from what people would expect out of Moatoob and so far out of the way, he could train in peace.

Though, I worry if it’s really because of the guard machines that it’s so remote.

_“What business do you all have here? If I like your answer I’ll let you live.”_

An adult beast suddenly showed up in front of us. I cannot believe that none of us felt his presence earlier. At the very least, I should have been more aware. It was hard to get a feel for him, since he had on sunglasses. What was the most unique thing about him was that one of his forearms was mutated.

It looked very similar to an arm from a Beast’s black nanoblast.

I’ve heard from other mercenaries that beasts have an odd chance to nanoblasting into this form. Unlike the other forms, the black nanoblast harms enemies and allies alike.

Nagisa soon stiffened into a defensive stance. It’s still a bit shocking to see her be so meek one moment and then so serious the next.

_“We have business up ahead. Do not stop us.”_

_“You’re trespassing on the Rogues’ turf. Whatever business you have, I suggest you forget about it. We do not take kindly to these actions.”_

Neither side seemed to back down. When I looked, I noticed that the male was looking at me too. It was like he was waiting for my stance on the matter. Even with his shades on, I could tell we couldn’t take him lightly. He wasn’t a low ranking member.

_“How about you, young lady? Will you be defiant as well?”_

_“Me?”_

It took a moment before I could answer.

Something didn’t sit right with me about this area. Maybe we can get out of this peacefully.

_“Nagisa, Yuto stand down. Since it seems he knows the area, he can give us more information.”_

_“Ami-”_

_“Nagisa, I am the party leader. Besides crossing the Rogues is not an action to be done rashly.”_

_“...fine. You’re the party leader so I will abide, for now.”_

_“You seem the understand the situation at hand Miss. But it’s obvious at this point you all won’t leave. So how about we cut a deal instead? I can forgive your transgressions on one condition.”_

_“Name it.”_

_“I’m investigating a mutation phenomenon. Help me out and I’ll permit you all access to this site.”_

Nagisa bristled under the man’s words. I think this might be the first time she’s been talked to in this way. Her hand was already reaching for her sword.

_“Permit us? What gives you the right to permit us anything?”_

_“Honestly, it doesn’t matter at this point. Cut me down if that makes you feel better. But I can assure you that doing so will bring the unrelenting force of the Rogues after you day and night.”_

_“Nagisa! Stand. Down. I know you have your mission, but I will not compromise relations with the Rogues over it. They really aren’t bad as long as we work together.”_

_“How would you know?”_

_“I worked with them a few times as a Guardian.”_

_“Hmm, Ami isn’t it? You’re a Guardian?”_

_“Former, but that’s not relevant to the mission.”_

The male chuckled a bit.

_“Yes, of course. So I assume we’ve reached an agreement?"_

I put my hand out to shake.

_“Yeah.”_

The male seemed surprised that I was shaking on it. But he took his right hand into my left as we shook. He took his sunglasses off so I can look at him fully.

_“Good, you all can call me Alfort Tylor.”_

That name sounded fa-

Wait, no way.

_“Tylor? No way. It’s been so long.”_

_“You know of me?”_

_“I don’t think we were exactly friends but I was Laia’s pupil.”_

_“Hmm...now I see why your name sounded familiar. How is she anyway?”_

_“I guess good...we had a bit of a falling out.”_

_“Ami? You know him?”_

_“A little. He helped us when we were sealing Rykros. We can trust him.”_

After introductions were out of the way, we got down to the heart of the mission. The main source of the mutations were blocked by security systems. It normally wouldn’t be a problem, but our intrusion most likely activated them. Since there were so many we had to do, the others decided to make a game out of it. Nagisa and I were partnered together while Tylor and Yuto worked by themselves. I was worried that the two males were working by themselves, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. The system was comprised of more guard machines, like the ones we saw in the rain forest. There were a few more advanced machines, but they all were dismantled the same way.

When we disabled the eighteen teleporters that housed the machines we took one more break. I noticed that Nagisa and Tylor were in a conversation about something. I couldn’t tell what it was about, but I didn’t feel any hostility coming between them. Soon he left and Nagisa was making her way towards me. She looked as if something was weighing on her mind. But I didn’t want to point that out to her.

_“Ami, can I ask you something?”_

_“Sure.”_

_“How do you see me? Rather, our relationship.”_

_“You’re my friend. Why?”_

For a moment, she looked shocked at my answer.

Was the feeling not mutual?

_“Is there something wrong with that?”_

_“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry too much about it. We should get going soon, I sense a fragment up ahead.”_

As soon as she said that, we heard a crunching sound. The four of us ran through the door, only to meet a huge guard machine. It shouldn’t have been activated with just the four of us. But Tylor assumed the mutations in the area were making it active. Our only option was to destroy it. Facing towering machines wasn’t something new to me. But this one had a sporadic attack pattern.

...if you call shooting wildly a pattern.

With such a large machine as an enemy, the first step would be to disable the legs. It was only when thoroughly grounded we could attack its power core. Of course there was the problem that it was reinforced, but getting rid of that was the smallest of our problems.

We were lucky that when t was finally defeated it didn’t explode.

Yeah, that would be pretty terrible.

Nagisa was breathing pretty hard. I assume it’s difficult to fight in such a close proximity of a fragment. And the others that were inside of her were reacting as well. It was probably taxing on her body. But then she stilled.

_“The fragment...it isn’t here!”_

_“What?”_

_“I just felt it so strongly! It couldn’t have just disappeared! Ami, you saw it didn’t you!”_

_“I didn’t.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“You know I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”_

Nagisa called for Wynarl. After a few minutes he appeared. Though, he looked exhausted. Nagisa had explained the situation to him, trying to find an answer. He simply said that the feeling she had was wrong. Finding it by feel wasn’t perfect in the first place, so it was only a matter of time before it led her astray.

He didn’t even banter before disappearing again.

_“So I take it by your conversation you didn’t find what you were looking for?”_

_“Unfortunately no.”_

_“I see. Tell me what you’re looking for?”_

_“How could I?”_

_“‘How could I?’ she asks. She really has no idea who I am.”_

The Landeel appeared over top of us soon after. It’s still a beautiful ship from when I first saw it. I didn’t need to know much about ships to know that he kept it in top condition. Now that I think about it, I think Tylor might have a hobby for ships. Anyway, he said that since he’s the “Don” of the Rogues, whatever we were looking for he’ll find. We were his friends so we shouldn’t hesitate on calling upon his resources. He gave us his partner card and a few parting words before leaving us.

_“Remember this saying: No matter how significant, each life is irreplaceable.”_


	4. Beach Outings and Giant Lobsters

It felt odd to be riding back to Clad 6 with Nagisa awake. But with how quiet she’s been, it didn’t sound any different. Emilia was waiting for us as soon as we got back. She could tell from the start something was wrong.

_“Nagisa what’s wrong? You look so down. And not even that pervert is around.”_

_“Wynarl is sleeping. If you don’t object, I would like to take my leave."_

_“Huh? Oh...sure. Can you meet me once he’s awake? There’s a minor detail I wanted him to clarify for me.”_

_“Of course. If you’ll excuse me.”_

The two of us watched as Nagisa went straight to the cafe. I explained to Emilia what had happened on Moatoob. Emilia figured that the mission was just a crushing blow to Nagisa’s self-confidence in her way of doing things.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s quite the issue.

Emilia changed the subject by telling Yuto and I that she was close to finishing her theory papers. And if it was recognized by her colleagues, then she would get her doctorate. I was happy for her. She’s been working hard on it since after the Subspace incident. I was a little jealous though, but she was a genius. Of course even before she was an adult she was already close getting her doctorate.

I was supposed to be working on mines as well, but Little Wing makes it hard for me to keep up with my classes.

In celebration, she and Yuto were going shopping. With of course eating pudding. I declined the outing to go to my room. I had more than enough sweets earlier and wanting to rest after the mission on Moatoob. It felt nice to have my room to myself for a change. I changed into someone warmer, since my current clothes still had the chill of the mountains in them. I got caught up in my paperwork and messages, significantly less than last time.

But now I was bored.

This is rare.

I wanted to check on Nagisa, but I think she needed the space. Give her a bit of space to sort her emotions. If she wasn’t finding fragments, she was sleeping off the effects from absorbing them. A break from both to just be herself might help her out a little.

It was odd to have absolutely nothing to do. Missions weren’t appealing to me and I didn’t want to train. Dad’s words began to go through my head.

It had been a while since I contacted Hyuga.

I wonder if he was still off from that mission on Parum?

I scrolled to his name on my contacts before stopping. What was I going to say to him? I felt myself hesitating in contacting him. Did he still think I was mad at him for jumping to conclusions? It’s not entirely true. But some part of me deep inside was still just a little mad that despite the accusations, he didn’t see me as a threat. It seems really petty for me to still be miffed about it.

Ultimately, I didn’t contact him.

Instead I took a trip to the G-Colony. It had been a long while since I went there, the last time being to confront Laia about my dismissal as Commander. But this trip wasn’t to the Guardians Headquarters, rather to the residential section. It changed quite a lot since I had been there. I still felt nostalgic going through the pathways I went through while growing up. Despite being born in Parum, G-Colony was my home.

If I was old enough then, I would have moved back into the residential section when I left the Guardians.

I somehow stopped on the sector I grew up in. Memories of being in the area with Mom flooded my mind. I missed her something fierce. I wondered how she would feel if she knew what I was doing now.

Would I have been in Little Wing now if she was still alive?

It’s amazing, but hard to think that her sacrifice was the catalyst of my current life path.

_“Ami? Is that you?”_

_“Hilde?”_

I couldn’t stop smiling at seeing Hildegarde, Hilde, again. I had heard that during my initial time with Little Wing, Hilde had put herself in inactive duty in the Guardians and now living in peace with her husband. Hilde was a big factor in my life too.

She saved my life and never gave up on me when Mom died.

I don’t think I would even have been the same if it wasn’t for her.

_“It truly has been a while. Since before Rykros if I remember correctly. You’ve grown up so much.”_

_“And you grew your hair. It’s odd seeing you in anything longer than a bob.”_

_“One of the things I missed when being on active duty. Hey, my place isn’t too far from this district. How about I treat you to lunch, at the very least?”_

_“I can’t decline from a friend Hilde.”_

Hilde’s place was not that far. It was decent sized, considering it was just her and her husband. I felt at home being here. I noticed that she had a lot of photos on her wall, pictures of places she went to. I guess with her Guardian status and her husband being in Alliance Military, they could travel a lot.

_“So what brings you to the G-Colony today? You’re pretty far off from HQ.”_

_“I’m not here to visit HQ today. I needed something to do and I decided coming here. It hit me that besides my mercenary work, I don’t really do anything for fun anymore.”_

_“What about your music?”_

_“Never got a custom keyboard in my new place. I kind of gave up on that dream once I got with the Guardians.”_

_“Hmm, you’re restless then. You’re so used to being called on for things. You probably can’t help it at your age, but you should savor those moments.”_

_“I know I should. But I can’t.”_

_“Heh, I know Ami. You’ve grown from the girl I found in Parum so long ago.”_

I smiled a little. Hilde always seemed to find a way for me to make me feel better. She reminded me so much of Mom. It was comforting to have that feeling again.

_“Speaking of being restless, have you settled down yet?”_

At that, I sputtered the tea I was drinking. I could hear Hilde chuckling while wiping up the mess I made. I didn’t think she would be so blunt about asking. But then again, she was the first to figure out my feelings for Hyuga, even before I figured it out.

_“Why would you ask that?”_

_“It’s a perfectly good question.”_

_“I guess? But no, there’s no one. It’s complicated.”_

_“You probably get it enough from the others so I won’t push. But at least consider it when you’re able to.”_

_“No promises.”_

Right at that moment, my communit called. It was Emilia. She had wondered where I was since I usually don’t leave Clad 6 unless it was for a mission. Thankfully, she doesn’t press too hard for answers for why I was at the G-Colony. But she was waiting for me at the cafe. She wanted to have a meeting about something.

_“Little Wing?”_

_“Yeah, duty never stops.”_

_“I know, it’s nice to be relied on. Be sure to take a vacation when you can.”_

_“I’ll try Hilde, thanks.”_

It wasn’t long before I got back to the cafe on Clad 6. Apparently, it wasn’t a one on one meeting. Emilia had called Lumia and Shizuru along with Yuto. And Nagisa as well.

_“Why did you call of us here? This better be important.”_

_"Of course it is. I just got back my theory results from the board. It’s finalized, you all can call me Doctor Percival now.”_

I was happy to hear that. She really did put in a lot of hours to get her doctorate.

The others? No so much.

But the news wasn’t the only reason she had called us. Because of her achievement, Ursula gave her passes to a high end resort as a gift. The main attraction of this resort was its artificial beach. I was surprised, to say the least. I haven’t been to a beach in so long. There was Paracabana Coast before the Seed invaded. The other times I had been there was a Guardian on a mission. So I would be lying if I wasn’t excited about going to one.

Lumia looked a bit flustered about going to one though.

I’ll admit, I was getting nostalgic seeing her like this. It reminded me of our time when I was her instructor.

Everyone had walked off to get ready. Except for Emilia, Nagisa, and myself. Emilia had started to tug Nagisa in an attempt to get her to come with her. I think Nagisa was confused that Emilia’s invite extended to her as well.

_“Why?”_

_“Well, I heard you were feeling down. And it’s times like those you need to go out and have some fun. De-stress and all that good stuff.”_

I smiled at her reasoning.

_“Oh Ami! I left something in your room on the table.”_

_“Why does that sound ominous?”_

At any rate, I went back to my room. I did see her gift box, but for the moment I ignored it for my clothing storage. I had a one-piece swimsuit from my training days in the Guardians. It still fit me decently, so I kept it when I left. But I couldn’t find it in there.

Then I glanced at the box again.

...she didn’t…

When I opened the box, it was a black string bikini waiting for me. It would show quite a bit of skin, but nothing indecent. I was grateful that the design was modest. But the bottoms being tied by the sides worried me a little. Overall, if I had to get a new swimsuit and they ran out of one-pieces I would pick it. I put the new clothing in my nanotranser and made my way to the meeting area.

The resort looked amazing. I could tell how much work went into replicating a real beach. The smallest details were even in there. Even down to the salty smell of the air. I went into one of the changing stations and got into my new swimsuit.

It felt a little tight though…

I don’t know how to react to it.

I walked out into the sands, which felt good under my feet. Emilia was already waiting for me. She was wearing a red and white striped two piece that had skirt-like frills on the bottoms. Something fitting her personality.

_“Ami, you made it!”_

_“Of course. You and Ursula went through the trouble to get me a resort pass. I wasn’t going to let it go to waste.”_

_“Good. I see you’re wearing the gift I left you.”_

_“Not like I had a choice. But thank you. But it’s a little tight.”_

_“It’s supposed to be fitting. You don’t want it to float away when you’re in the water right? Besides, when Ursula told me your size, I wasn’t expecting you to fill it out like this. You should wear more clothes that show your figure.”_

I could feel Emilia’s eyes sizing me up.

_“Hey! Stop that! I’m not a piece of meat.”_

_“Ha ha ha. You look really good though. I’m sure if a certain someone saw you like this they would appreciate the view.”_

My face became flustered at her underlying statement. I knew exactly who she talking about. Why talk always came back to my love life, or lack thereof, I don’t even know. Thankfully, Lumia showed up before the conversation could continue.

_“H-hi guys.”_

She was wearing the blue one-piece I was looking for. I’m not surprised she was wearing it, since it was standard for all female trainees. Emilia turned her gaze from me to Lumia.

Or rather her figure.

For some reason Lumia’s figure is a touchy subject. I don’t see why. Regardless of assets or not, Lumia can put away creatures five times her size. But I let the two have their banter before the males showed up. Yuto was excited to be in a beach, seeing that Moatoob don’t have beaches. Shirzuru was hiding in the shadows, which didn’t sit well with Emilia. She managed to bring him out.

It took a great deal of composure to not laugh at him.

He didn’t look bad. But he was wearing swim briefs. It takes a lot of courage to wear one. And it was amusing that most of the time he’s calm and collected. But get him surrounded by girls in form fitting outfits and he’s just as normal as every teen boy.

_“Hello everyone.”_

Then Nagisa showed up.

I do mean appearing and then showing up everyone.

Lumia and Emilia sobbed into each other over Nagisa’s body. I was a little surprised myself. When she’s wearing her regular outfit, she seems so small and slim. I never expected her to get a filling body type. I didn’t expect her to have such pale skin either. If she wasn’t a Duman, I would have been worried. It just seemed natural for Dumans to have really pale skin. She seemed confused by Emilia’s and Lumia’s reactions. I pulled her aside to explain their responses.

_“But I don’t understand why they would want a bigger size. Won’t it get in the way of fighting?”_

_“You know, that would explain why your clothing is so deceptive actually.”_

_“What?”_

_“No, nothing.”_

_“But with all these looks, I can see why it’s so embarrassing. It doesn’t bother you Ami?”_

_“When they stare. But I just don’t really put emphasis into my figure.”_

And Wynarl took the time to make his reappearance.

While Nagisa was figuring out ways to murder him for remarking on a missed opportunity to see Nagisa get dressed, I went out to swim in the water. I wouldn’t say I have an affinity to water. But swimming had always been a thing I liked to do. It helped me to clear my head, to be able to be myself. It’s hard to explain it properly. I noticed that Yuto was already a distance away from me. With his background, I shouldn’t be surprised. I broke to the surface of the water and just stared at the sky. I thought about my earlier predicament.

I’ll definitely call tomorrow.

Just to clear the air.

_“Ami! Come join us for some ball.”_

I swam back to the shore and joined Yuto and Shizuru for a game against Lumia, Emilia, and Nagisa. After showing Nagisa how to play we got started. It was pretty evenly matched game. I was a little relieved that I wasn’t as rusty as I thought I was. Last time I played a game was in high school.

Soon the ball went over to Nagisa.

_“Hiyaaah!”_

She spiked the ball.

She spiked it so hard, it broke the ball upon impact with the ground.

If any of us had tried to intercept it, we would have had a broken wrist.

Dumans are powerful beings.

The rest of the time at the beach went smoothly afterwards. In the end, it was good idea for us to do this. We all needed to relax after all we’ve been through. Everyone else was already heading back while I offered to find Nagisa so we could leave together. I found her overlooking the horizon of the resort from a cliff.

_“Ah Ami. You were looking for me?”_

_“Yeah, it’s time to go.”_

_“I see. Can I just sit here for a little longer? I want to make sure I never forget this scene.”_

_“Sure. You don’t mind if I sat with you?”_

We both sat looking at the scenery, hearing the waves against the sands. Nagisa told me that this outing was the best time she had in her life. From what she remembered at any rate. She had been so focused on her mission and fighting for so long, she forgot that she was capable of having days like this.

I hope that once we saved Gurhal, we could have more days like these.

We arrived at Clad 6 with a fresh mind and body. I noticed that Nagisa looked happier too. I preferred when she looked like this. She was learning to not let her mission dictate so much of her life.

Maya once told me that even with the most tense of missions, we needed to relax every now and then.

Even though it was at the expense of my feelings back then, I think I can appreciate her words now.

It was short lived however.

An alarm sounded through the area. We wondered what it was. Emilia was already looking over the source of the alarm.

_“Hmm, looks like it’s something on the inside.”_

Kunoh came into the briefing room afterwards. She was one of the elder members of Little Wing, being here for a while before I signed up. We weren’t exactly friends, but we made small talk when I saw her around. I found out that she was a former Guardian.

Actually, she had watched over Emilia when she was a researcher for them.

I wondered why we didn’t see each other, since there was a period of time we were both Guardians. But then again, I didn’t even know that Emilia was under Guardians’ custody with my status. Anyway, it felt good to know that there was someone who was in a similar position as me. She told us that mutated creatures had suddenly appeared in the that resort we were in.

How did they show up so quickly?

More importantly, how we did we not notice them?

Emilia left to find out the answers to that. Lumia, with Shizuru and Yuto went to start evacuations. That left Kunoh and myself to dispatch the creatures that already had gotten through the barriers.

_“Wait, I want to go too.”_

_“And you are?”_

_“I won’t be a hindrance, I am confident you will need my skills.”_

_“It’s not protocol to have non-Little Wing members to help out with these.”_

_“Take her with us Kunoh. I can testify her abilities. I’ll take full responsibility.”_

_“Hmm, alright. Since you are giving the permission Ami.”_

We made our way back to the beach resort. There we met Vasque, a Cast who’s also a Little Wing member. Our paths rarely crossed. But when we chatted, he was a nice person. Really interested in information. Scholarly in some aspects. After getting the introductions out of the way, we got a call from Emilia. The resort had some defense systems put up, just in case. But since it’s a resort, they aren’t as strong. Regardless of its power, we would need to activate them manually. Our first one was not too far from where we started.

But when we activated it…

_“What? A raid?”_

_“They’re after the terminal!”_

_“Push them back! We can’t let them destroy the terminal at all costs!”_

The creatures were becoming more strategic. They figured out that taking out the terminals would bring down the barrier. So once we activated one, we had to defend it enough that they wouldn’t attack it on our way to the next terminal.

It was smart.

But these were mutated creatures. How were they were able to plan this?

I didn’t have time to think of an answer. There were more attacks coming from different terminals. The four of us quickly went through the beach and got rid of any creatures that we saw. Nagisa seemed more focused in defending the beach from these mutated creatures. There was a reason in her attacks now.

I wonder if this beach was now something special to her.

It took a while, but all the creatures were taken care of. All that remained was the main creature who started the alarm. At Kunoh’s suggestion we took a small break to prepare ourselves. It was obvious that this creature was going to have an advanced mutation. I checked my weapons and they seemed to be in good order. Now that I had a moment to myself, the thoughts about the creatures bothered me.

_“Nagisa, you think there’s a fragment here?”_

_“Maybe. I had faintly sensed something earlier but I can’t rely on it so fully right?”_

_“Well it’s only been wrong the one time. So lets not completely throw it out.”_

_“Right. I’m amazed that Kunoh and Vasque believed me so quickly. Why do you think that is?”_

_“My guess is the same reason we all do. Just because we feel it. Despite your reasoning and some of your actions, you truly want peace for Gurhal. It’s what we all want too.”_

_“I see. I’ll try not to let you or the others down then.”_

_“Just do your best. That’s all we can really ask of you.”_

We went inside the teleporter to where the mutations had originated from.

_‘It’s carrying a fragment.’_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Yes, this kind of mutation is only when one carries a fragment.”_

_“Ami! Nagisa! Look sharp! Here it comes!”_

It’s hard to properly describe a Giel Zorg. It’s a giant lobster creature. It shoots out poisonous puddles of liquid. It had a very hard outer shell. I don’t think that my daggers or swords can get through it without damaging the weapon itself. Instead I equipped a pair of knuckles. Gudda Skela to be exact. Knuckle type weapons put more force into my strikes than my bladed weapons. Plus with my hands covered in metal and photons, I won’t get nasty aftershocks from hitting it. I punched at its shelled claw, putting all my strength into each blow. I heard a crack from the other claw.

I saw that Nagisa had already started to penetrate the shell on her side.

The enemy had one notable weakness. At the tip of its tail at the top, it had an uncovered spot. Kunoh used her bow to hit the area while Vasque backed her up with his ranged weapons. There were a few times in which it would suddenly move, shifting the pier we were fighting on in a new positions

A pier that floats.

There were a couple times I was concerned one of us would fall overboard. But I was amazed how stable we kept our footing during the whole ordeal. Ending with a well place Infinity Blast by Nagisa, Giel went down.

_“Everyone alright?”_

_“Yeah, clothes are a bit soaked though.”_

_“Looks like there’s no serious injuries. But that stone...”_

Just as Giel was disappearing, the fragment appeared in its place.

_“What kind of stone brings out such an ominous feeling?”_

_“That’s...”_

_“What you’re looking for? Isn’t it Nagisa?”_

_“Yes, I’m sorry.”_

_“No need to apologize. Just hurry and deal with it. You’ve made up your mind on the path you’re taking. Now see it through to the end. Vasque and I will report back. You two did good out there.”_

After Kunoh gave me her partner card, she left with Vasque. When it was the two of us, Nagisa went towards the fragment. Then she stopped.

Was she hesitating?

_“Ami, I have a question. If what I’m doing makes it seem like I’m going down an evil path, what would you do?”_

_“That’s a loaded question. It’s hard to say exactly what I would do. But I know I’ll believe in you. I’ve been with you long enough to know you’re a good person.”_

_“That’s a very bold statement Ami. I wonder if you realize the severity of your words.”_

_‘Nagisa...’_

_“Don’t say anything now Wynarl. I’ll collect this last fragment and leave the rest in your hands Ami.”_

Something seemed odd about that statement.

It was a very quiet ride back to Clad 6. Wynarl would usually be around to keep me company. But not even he was around while Nagisa was sleeping from absorbing the fragment. I let her rest in my room again. It’s funny how I was bothered by it at first, but now it didn’t. I went to type up my report about the latest mission before Wynarl made an appearance. He just stared at me while I finished up the report.

_‘You’re done?’_

_“Yeah, thanks for letting me finish.”_

_‘Anything Ami darling.’_

_“Please stop adding darling, it’s weird.”_

_‘That has always bothered me. Why is it weird for you?’_

_“It’s a very…intimate addition.”_

_‘Aha! I figured as such! You’ve done so much and you’re so strong. Hard to believe that such a shy girl is underneath all of that. Who’s the lucky man?’_

_“There’s no one. Why in the world you assume I have someone?”_

_‘Uh huh, you can’t fool me. There might not be someone, yet. Don’t think I notice those side glances and how emotional you talk about a certain company president.’_

_“Sh-Shut up! It’s that obvious huh?”_

_‘Ha ha ha, it’s funny to_ see you blush like this. And not really, when you’ve been alive as long as I have, you notice things. I’m glad honestly. Nagisa wasn’t wrong in choosing you for this mission.’

Wynarl told me that Nagisa’s memory lost was actually her memories degrading. A side effect from absorbing fragments into herself. He found it odd that despite all the memory lapses and decaying, she still could remember her mission.

Like it was embedding into her very being.

Who would give the order?

Why?

To have someone subject themselves to such mental and physical hardships.

Honestly, I would love to meet them so that I could beat them up.

_‘Hey Ami darling, can I see your terminal for a sec?’_

_“Well that’s an odd request. But alright, I need to change into some dry clothes anyway.”_

I put back on the replica that Ursula gave me. I had grown quite used to it on me. I gave a quick comb through my hair. My brain was nagging at me that something was out of place. Ever since the Moatoob, things didn’t add up. It wasn’t an all out bad feeling, but uneasiness that wouldn’t go away. Like I’ve barely scratched the surface of something. When I came out, Nagisa was awake. Looking really well, in fact. She looked like she just finished talking with Wynarl.

_“How you feeling Nagisa?”_

_“Pretty good. Thank you. I know I’ve must have bothered you with always using your bed to rest.”_

_“It’s not a problem. I can’t have you sleeping on the floor.”_

_“Still, thank you for everything.”_

Then she left my room.

I could have sworn I heard her saying goodbye.

A few minutes later, Emilia ran into my room. It was rare now for her to come in my room just to talk. She wanted to talk to me about her most recent research.

Those fragments were Dark Falz Fragments.

The Seed originated from those fragments.

_“Whoa, what?”_

That would explain why I felt uneasy when I was near them.

_“I know, pretty freaky right?”_

_“Emilia, have you told the Guardians about this?”_

_“Well, no. Not yet. Nagisa has the fragments in her body, so if they found out...”_

_“I understand, you care about her. I’m sorry, that was insensitive. It’s just that I was the commander of the Rykros mission and that was supposed to seal the Seed forever.”_

_“Ami...”_

_“Don’t worry about me, continue.”_

_“Well looking at my notes and data, the seal on Rykros is still very strong. There’s no danger of it any releases, hopefully not within our lifetime. Anyway when all the fragments come together and enough energy is put in a new Dark Falz will be born. Nagisa has all the fragments right? If Dark Falz is created, what will happen to her?”_

My face paled at the thought.

No.

No no no no no.

Not that.

I stood up from my chair quickly. Was this why Nagisa couldn’t tell me more about her end goal? Why she always looked so sad when talking about the future? Why she kept asking if I was sure to believe in her?

I punched my table hard, not caring about the pain.

Goddammit.

Why didn’t I see this before? After I promised myself I wouldn’t allow anyone else to be a sacrifice anymore.

_“Her goal is to revive Dark Falz, isn’t it?”_

_“Don’t. For Gurhal’s sake I sincerely hope it isn’t the case.”_

Just hearing Dark Falz’s name brought back those emotions I felt facing it.

The alarm sounding again brought me out of my thoughts. This time, it was coming from the main hub of the area.

_“What’s happening now?”_

_“I don’t know, but lets go Emilia.”_

I made sure all my weapons were in my nanotranser before heading out. The uneasiness seemed to explode knowing all this information. Emilia and I got to the lobby of Clad 6.

Three words.

It took three words to completely unnerve me.

_“Ami, you’re late.”_


	5. Story of My Life

_“Ami, you’re late.”_

It was chaos in the lobby of Clad 6. In the midst of it all, Nagisa stood there. Littered through the area were the bodies of the patrons. Shopkeepers, Little Wing members, civilians, all unresponsive on the ground. I heard Emilia gasp at the sight.

With the red alert lights, the scene looked like something out of a movie.

_“Nagisa! What are you doing?”_

_“If I explained, would you truly understand? You’re smart Emilia, can’t you draw your own conclusions?”_

I was able to. There was a key detail about the entire scene I immediately picked up on.

_“Nagisa, is this why we were collecting the Dark Falz fragments?”_

_“Oh? So you figured out what they are? Well, that answer is complicated. But that doesn’t matter now.”_

_“’Doesn’t matter’ my ass! Why involve Clad 6? These people have nothing to do with us.”_

_“It’s precisely why I involved them. You’re a Guardian at heart Commander. You wouldn’t agree to this without some...persuasion.”_

_“Don’t call me that! Why now?”_

_“Why not? I’ve planned for this moment ever since our weapons clashed. It’s why I chose you.”_

_“Nagisa...I can’t.”_

_“If you care about Gurhal, you will kill me!”_

I was surprised at how much emotion was coming out of her. It’s just a shame that she’s essentially being a death seeker during it. I shook my head in refusal. I told Wynarl that day I would not go down that path again. I won’t let my hands become stained with a needless death again.

_“But-”_

_“But nothing! Do you need more reasons?”_

Nagisa used the jet boosters from her sword to an attempt to attack Emilia. I couldn’t let that happen. I ran over and blocked her sword with one of mine own. I could feel that Nagisa was putting a lot into the attack. She was serious in trying to harm Emilia.

_“Ami!”_

_“Are you alright Emilia?”_

_“I’ll be fine, but Nagisa.”_

She moved back after my block. But she wasn’t frustrated at all. She was smirking. The bad feeling just seemed to multiply with that smirk.

“Touched a nerve, didn’t I? Did you finally find your courage?”

_“Nagisa...I ca-”_

_“Shut up! That’s still not enough for you? How many people are going to die before you kill me? I was hoping not to resort to this. After I’ll kill Emilia, I’ll go to Parum next.”_

My eyes widened, I knew what she was hinting at.

Dad...Hyuga…

I couldn’t let that happen.

_“Argh, fine!”_

Nagisa took off her eyepatch once she saw I was willing to fight her. For someone who’s wanting to be killed, she was going at this full power. I could hear Emilia shouting at me to not kill her. And I wasn’t going to. But I couldn’t die either, it would be a moot point. So I did attack her a little while mostly blocking hers. As the fight dragged on, I could feel the rage behind Nagisa’s attacks. I had never felt such rage before then. It was unreal, that one person had this much building inside of them.

I wonder if the fragments facilitated those feelings.

At one point, I noticed an opening in her attacks. I put away my sword. I knew if I took the opening with my sword, she was definitely going to die. I changed my sword for my Spark Fist knuckles again and punched her at her side. I saw the surprised look on her face as I used my hands instead.

I think she was catching on, since I did the same thing on Parum.

I took her moment of surprise to take her sword out of her hands. Then elbowing her to get her as far away from the weapon as possible. She glared at me hard. But I caught on to her game. I wasn’t going to willingly play it. I took her sword into my hands before throwing it to the other side of the lobby.

_“Why. Don’t. You. Kill. Me!”_

_“Shut the hell up. I’m not going to kill you. I won’t be a part of this game Nagisa.”_

_“Are you stupid? Fight me!”_

_“Enough you two!”_

Both Nagisa and I had forgotten that Emilia was witnessing our exchange. She was borderline in tears, seeing two of her friends fight each other like this. But she didn’t cry. I was amazed at how strong she was being. If the circumstances were different, I would have smiled.

_“Why are you doing this Nagisa? This isn’t like you at all! You don’t do stuff like this for no reason.”_

_“It was my plan from the beginning to betray you all and I-”_

_“That’s a load of crap. Now tell me the truth.”_

_“Ugh-”_

_‘Enough! I’ll do this myself!’_

We were blinded by a flash of light. When it died down, Wynarl had appeared and Nagisa appeared frozen. Even his appearance was odd. He was so serious. Even more serious than the glimpses he allowed to be shown. He told us the truth then, Nagisa had no intention to kill anyone. Everyone who was unresponsive on Clad 6 was just unconscious. She only played up her intention to kill so that we would kill her. She believed her death would be an easier end.

My refusal had been an unexpected bump in her plan.

He also revealed that the missing fragment on Moatoob wasn’t missing. He absorbed it into himself when we were preoccupied in the fight with the guard machine. It would explain why he was so exhausted after that mission.

_‘Of course, I wouldn’t be satisfied if Dark Falz was simply revived. So may I direct your eyes to the screen?’_

A large screen became active in the lobby. It was usually reserved for a group meeting. The screen showed an area in Parum’s forests. The ground was glowing. Then some mass began to rise from it. A cube? It wasn’t long afterwards the cube broke off to reveal a vessel.

How in hell did we not know about this thing?

After so many years too. Even factoring in war and Parum’s nature being renewed.

Not a single hint that a vessel like that existed.

Holy Ark Crowley was its name. Apparently Wynarl was a researcher during the time of the Ancients. He was studying the vessel before their era came to an end. With Dark Falz and Crowley in his possession, he could do whatever he wanted.

His first act of new found power?

Destroy Gurhal.

_“Goddammit Wynarl, you planned this from the start! You were odd, but I never imagined you would be scum.”_

_‘That’s so harsh Ami darling.’_

_“Wynarl...what are you truly planning?”_

_‘You haven’t figured it out yet Nagisa? I highly suggest taking the rest of your borrowed time to figure it out then.’_

We heard the people were starting to stir awake. Wynarl tsked at it. He noticed it as well.

_‘It won’t do any good if people started to wake up now. Not everyone can hear me.’_

_“Wynarl, you...”_

We were hit with another flash of light. Wynarl disappeared, but instead Nagisa seemed weird. Her posture was more relaxed than normal. Too relaxed.

_“Nagisa?”_

_“Not quite.”_

_“Wynarl...”_

Using Nagisa’s body, Wynarl proclaimed what was happening. And we had a choice to make. To kill or not kill Nagisa. If we did, Gurhal would be safe. If we didn’t then we basically signed away our lives. When I was ready, we’d meet on Crowley. Then the two disappeared.

_“What should we do?”_

I held Emilia as the tears finally left. I think she cried a little for me, since a heavy decision rested on me. It was too much, too soon. That night we stayed inside the Little Wing office. It was too much to try and sleep in our rooms. News all over Gurhal were the same. Reports about Crowley appearing. A lot of the reports were placing the blame on GRM, since Crowley was discovered in their sector. But they were very swift in shutting down those rumors.

Crouch had suggested we tried talking to the military to see if we can get them to shoot down the vessel. But I was highly against that. Alliance Military had nothing to do with event. There was a reason they chose Little Wing. There was a reason they chose me. I would honor that choice.

_“What do you suggest then Ami? This ship isn’t capable of aerial combat. Regardless of your decision, we’d be shot down before getting close to Crowley.”_

_“I see, all you need is a suitable system to do so. Correct?”_

We were surprised to see Tylor appear from the side entrance of the office.

_“How did you get in here without us noticing?”_

_“Ah forgive me. I don’t usually intrude in such a manner. But we have this habit of doing covert activities.”_

_“Cover- you know what? Nevermind. I think it’s better if I didn’t know.”_

_“Ha ha ha. I agree Guardian Ace.”_

_“I left that title long ago. It’s just Ami.”_

_“Old habits, with your reputation proceeding you. If you want the most efficient end to this situation, then I have the means to do so.”_

_“You mean the Landeel?”_

_“You remembered?”_

_“Of course. We wouldn’t have been able to do so much if it wasn’t for that ship. But why offer it to us?”_

Tylor looked genuinely confused at my question.

_“You don’t know?”_

_“Know what?”_

_“I received a message on my communications line saying that I should come to Clad 6 as soon as I got this message. The sender was you.”_

I looked at him dumbfounded. Then back to Emilia. She looked just as lost as I was.

_“Ami when did you get time to do that?”_

_“Uh, never? I’ve been here this entire time.”_

I’m pretty sure I can remember if I send a message to someone like Tylor. Before I could think on it some more, Crouch had gotten another call.

_“Oh it’s about time I got through to you. Ah! Ami and Emilia are there as well. Perfect!”_

_“Hyuga? What are you doing?”_

_“Wait, you know GRM’s president?”_

_“It’s a very long story that we don’t have time for Crouch.”_

_“Ami, you don’t remember messaging me?”_

_“Isn’t that your private office line? Why would I have that information?”_

This was getting really odd. They had gotten the message at least a few hours ago. I was in the office with Emilia this entire time. So I didn’t have time to send any kind of message. It seems that Emilia was trying to figure out why as well.

_“You two got the message by mail right?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“That’s right.”_

_“Hmm-no way. Ami I think I know what’s going on. Old Man, keep them company for a little bit.”_

_“Wha-”_

Emilia dragged me by the arm back to my room. Just before we reached my visiphone, an image of Wynarl appeared. Emilia was ready to give him a hell of a scolding, but he stopped her. He had only put a small amount of his power into the terminal, just enough to explain what needed to be done now.

Now that I think about it, it made sense why he always seemed to look at me while on my terminal. And then asking to use it.

The gist of the conversation was that to activate Crowley, he needed Dark Falz revived. He didn’t give the reason why. But if I were to speculate, I think Crowley was going to be a back up in case Rykros wouldn’t work against Dark Falz. But anyway, we would need to go to Crowley. It would explain why he sent for Tylor.

_“Why us?”_

_‘Why not? Nagisa did choose you. What you do now is up to you.’_

_“And if we refuse? Your actions for the past couple of hours have certainly done nothing to trust you again.”_

_‘Heh, very smart. Well, let me give you a bit of persuasion then.’_

Immediately afterwards, Crouch called us. Crowley had begun to move. Slowly, but it was heading towards Clad 6. It was obvious he was going after us now. As advanced as we are, we stood no chance against a machine designed by the Ancients.

All of Clad 6 would be destroyed.

_“Son of a bitch. Did you really need to go this far?”_

_‘Perhaps. Just come to Crowley and it will all end, one way or another.’_

_“Just tell me one thing. Is Nagisa alright?”_

_‘I’m surprised you’re asking about her after she attacked you. But I can assure you that she’s doing fine, for now. But even I don’t know how long she can hold out. She’s trying her hardest to keep Dark Falz contained.’_

Wynarl disappeared and we went back to the office for now. We explained the current situation to Crouch. He looked just as stressed as I was. There was just so much to do. This had to be one of the most dire situations I’ve been put in. Even more than the Rykros mission. I wished I could at least work out this stress on something.

_“So what are you going to do Ami?”_

_“I’m going. I don’t exactly have a choice.”_

_“Even if it seems like a trap?”_

_“Yeah. I have to.”_

_“Are you absolutely sure? If it gets to the worst case, we’ll simply self-destruct Clad 6. There’s no need to sacrifice your life for this ship.”_

_“Are you stupid Old Man! Clad 6 is our home. Ami and I won’t let anything happen to it.”_

_“Even then, it’s just the two of you. That’s too small, as talented you all are.”_

That was a good question. At that moment, Shizuru and Yuto appeared. They heard the news and came to help. With all of us, we just might be able to get one more shot at this. I wasn’t excited at this news. This is the third time I’ve been faced with such adversity. And I was only twenty.

But I would have to keep that down deep inside.

Nagisa life depended on this.

We boarded the Landeel soon after. It would be a while before preparations were complete and to actually reach Crowley. Emilia, Shizuru, and Yuto took that time to tour the ship. Instead of accompanying them, I decided to do into one of the private rooms to settle down. The stress of the everything that happened plus the lack of sleep was just too much and I somehow dozed off.

I only realized it when my communit was ringing.

_“Satomora here.”_

_“Ami? I had wondered why you weren’t at the bridge.”_

_“Oh, Hyuga. Yeah sorry, I just needed time to myself. I guess I went to sleep.”_

_“You sound tired.”_

_“Honestly, I am. I thought that when I left the Guardians, I could live my life as a simple mercenary. But here I am, in the same position again.”_

_“Ami...”_

_“I don’t regret the path that I’ve taken. I wouldn’t have be who I am if I didn’t, but...just when can I be normal?”_

_“I can’t answer that honestly. We’re all pulled into this as well.”_

_“You’re right. Listen, about what happened on Parum...I’m sorry.”_

_“It was already forgiven. I shouldn’t have suspected you like that. I wasn’t being a good friend when I did that.”_

Our conversation got cut short by Tylor announcing that we were within range of Crowley. Hyuga would need to leave to get ready on his end while I needed to get ready to infiltrate the vessel.

_“Well, I guess we need to get to our spots.”_

_“Yes...we’ll talk later okay?”_

_“Alright.”_

_“Oh, Ami?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“Come back alive. You have people to come back to.”_

That statement made me stop in my tracks.

All I could do was nod.

_“Right, I know. I’ll come back.”_

The others didn’t ask about my absence when I showed up on the bridge. I was still feeling uneasy about everything. But I needed to push it deep down n myself. Emilia and the others didn’t need to see this side of me. Not until after the mission anyway.

_“We’re going in now. It’ll be a little bumpy.”_

_“A little?”_

Tylor wasn’t kidding.

The Landeel went straight towards Crowley while Hyuga provided cover with his machines. Crowley was relentless in trying to shoot us down. We didn’t have a LSS to protect us so we had to be more careful in our drive.

_“There’s a small problem. If we attempt to get to a safe enough distance to let you all off, Crowley will shoot us before we get you off.”_

_“Hmm...you think you can get us close enough to jump?”_

_“Ami! Are you crazy?”_

_“This is our only shot. Just adjust the output of your lineshield when we jump and we’ll be fine.”_

_“Heh, that’s a bold plan. But we’ll see what we can do.”_

I watched as the others get to the opening hatch. While they were preparing for the jump, I started to adjust my communit to the Landeel’s frequency. Just in case.

_“Ami before you go, I need to know. How many people should we prepare to welcome back?”_

_“Five.”_

For a moment, Tylor smirked.

_“Very well. We’ll see you all back then.”_

I gave a small nod as I met with my party. The hatch opened seconds later. It wasn’t as high as I was expecting. Still pretty dangerous if you didn’t know what you were doing. I checked my lineshield one last time before we jumped.

I was surprised as we landed that Crowley had no sentry machines on the surface. But I suppose that was just more luck on our side. The vessel looked so pristine. It’s hard to imagine that inside of it was an offensive program strong enough to destroy Gurhal.

_“I feel a pure darkness here.”_

_“You feel it too Yuto? It’s such a strong evil presence. Nagisa couldn’t have been housing all of that in her? Could she?”_

_“It’s most likely Dark Falz.”_

_“Ami...”_

_“We’re going to be in close proximity to Dark Falz. Whatever happens, don’t let his presence consume you. Dark Falz feeds on your doubts and insecurities. It’ll get stronger as we get closer to Nagisa.”_

As we ventured to the interior of Crowley, it was a lot more formal than I could imagine. It looked like an elegant hall than a vessel that could take down a dark entity. It would be a good theme for a gala I might imagine. It wasn’t long before we were met with opposition. Stateria blocked our progress, which were a surprised. I think the Ancients created the Stateria. But these were forms never seen on Gurhal. If they did, I think we would have a lot of a trouble; they were tougher than the forms we have in the Relics. Emilia seemed to be in thought as we went deeper inside Crowley.

_“Argh! Why can’t I figure this out?”_

_“Emilia, you should stop spacing out. And I assume you mean trying to save Nagisa?”_

_“Shiruzu...yeah. There’s so much we don’t know about all of this. Every time I think of our choices, one just pops into my mind. I don’t want to go down that choice.”_

_“If that’s how you feel, you shouldn’t be asking outsiders for their opinion on it then. You have a doctorate, you can figure it out.”_

_“You’re such an idiot...”_

There was a section in Crowley that had four switches. By activating them we could progress further down. The problem was that until all four were activated, someone would need to stay by each of the switches so that they can stay activated. I had hoped we weren’t going to have to do this, but there was no other way.

Just that when we had to split up, nothing really goes right.

With each switch, I left Emilia, Shizuru, and Yuto to stand by a switch while I went to the last one. Now that I was by myself, my thoughts seemed to become more forceful in my head. I had to focus on the mission ahead. But I was already so worn mentally from all of this.

My thoughts were soon silenced when I saw a Seed-form.

It was a new form too. I remember Emilia saying that the Seed originated from the fragments. So I shouldn’t be surprised that I was starting to see Seed now. I could feel some unease trying to well up inside of me. I didn’t want to find out if the feeling was going to become a panic attack.

I can’t be hindered by my attacks now.

Quickly as I could, I took down each form that blocked me from stepping on the switch. Laia had taught me well in learning to fight solo. They were really a minor issue.

_“That should be all of them.”_

_“I hear something opening on my end.”_

_“Same here!”_

_“We’ll meet up at the entry point then.”_

When we met up again, no one looked injured or anything like that. Yuto began to frown though. I think he was feeling the darkness pretty strongly. I wonder if it’s because he’s part of the Kasch clan or because he’s half-Newman.

_“Hey Ami?”_

_“Yeah Emilia?”_

_“If it seems like our only choice is to kill Nagisa, what would you do? She thinks that it’s the only way as well...”_

_“The area up ahead is nothing but darkness.”_

_“Hmm, Ami was right. Dark Falz’s influence is even beginning to warp the structure. If this was to get to Gurhal, I don’t even want to think about the results. Yuto, Emilia we need to hurry.”_

The surrounding area around us began to shift and morph. Nanospace? It felt like we were taking a teleporter to another place. When the area stablized, it was desolate. The ground, the sky, everything looked dead.

Then we heard a roar.

_“W-what is that?!”_

_“A Dragon?”_

_“It’s mutated by the Seed! Bring it down!”_

Orga Dyran had pretty much the same attack patterns as the Dragon species. As long as we first disabled its wings it would be easier to manage. But we had to be careful with its tail. It was more reinforced than a normal creature and would hurt if we got hit with one of its whipping attacks. It soon fell, just like the rest of the creatures. As soon as it was killed, the area warped back to its original holy sight we were used to.

_“It’s gone.”_

_“But I highly doubt that this will be the last time we’ll be getting ‘warnings’ like this.”_

_“I see..Ami?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“About what I asked earlier. Would you lend a hand in Nagisa’s death?”_

_“No. If I had decided to kill her, I would have done it on Clad 6.”_

_“But what if-”_

_“No. I won’t allow that to even be mentioned. You heard about that Seed outbreak in Moatoob a few years ago right?”_

_“I read about it. What about it?”_

_“Those three-hundred plus Seed-forms that were destroyed? All of them were mutated from Beasts. That many Beasts died that day. I had a hand in that. I know technically once someone transformed into a Seed-form, they are dead. But still, I killed innocent people. I used that logic to justify killing a child who mutated into a Seed.”_

Everyone seemed silent at my admission. I never wanted them to know about my past like that. I took a deep breath. My hands were shaking remembering that day.

_“Ami...”_

_“Being a ‘Guardian Ace’ isn’t a glamorous title. I still remember hearing that kid calling out for his sister when I shot the creature. Since that day, I told myself I would never want to stain my hands like that again. She can be saved. She’s going to be saved. If we did it for Hyuga, I will do it for Nagisa.”_

_“Hyuga?”_

_“It’s probably classified information, but since it’s the four of us I’ll tell you. Hyuga was a victim of the Seed-Virus. He transformed into a Seed-form a few times. I thought I had to kill him. I almost died from my refusal. Eventually Maya figured it out and we ended up saving him. Easily he could have been another victim of circumstances. Sacrificed for the greater good. To hell with that. I’m not sacrificing a life for the greater good. I will not hear any other alternative, you understand?”_

_“Ami...I understand. You’re right, I shouldn’t think about that. We will save her. Thanks for your input.”_

_“Well, we won’t be able to save anyone standing here.”_

Shizuru was right. Standing around talking about what we’re going to do wasn’t helping. I guess he understood from personal experience what needed to be done. I hoped Nagisa would be able to hold out until we arrived.

But with all these Seed-forms and Dark Falz’s influence over the area, I just hoped I’ll be able to have the mental strength to keep going.


	6. The Will to Live

We couldn’t afford to take any more breaks after our battle with Orga Dyran, so we just continued on in our attempt to reach Nagisa. Emilia had figured out a shortcut that would let us get closer to the central room of Crowley.

Hopefully to where Nagisa was.

When we got to the next area however…

_“Whoa, look at this! We’re already so far out of Parum’s airspace.”_

_“Damn, it’s going faster than expected. We need to keep going.”_

But we couldn’t far.

Pods blocked our progress.

_“Isn’t this the Seed?”_

_“What the-”_

Yeah, these were definitely Seed pods. I could never forget them.

Shizuru noticed how small they were. Probably no taller than me. Considering everything that has happened so far, I shouldn’t have been surprised that actual Seed-forms were here. But they were just newly spawned, not mature enough to attack. At that state, they could be easily be destroyed..

The only problem?

_“I feel it. There’s twenty of those.”_

_“T-Twenty?”_

_“Time’s not on our side either. Guess we’ll have to get rid of the right on our way.”_

It was really just a simple objective. Really it was.

Just try telling my body that.

I don’t remember the last time I faced so many Seed. Maybe Rykros? I felt my body shake hard at the thought of having to face that many Seed. I know that these would be easy to purify. But these could easily form into the Seed-form that killed Mom. Remembering that day again made my body feel dizzy. And the aura the Seed has combined with Dark Falz’s influence was not cooperating with my body.

There was nothing to stabilize myself so I knelt to the floor.

_“Ami? Ami are you okay!”_

I don’t remember if they knew I sometimes get nervous around the Seed.

I was focusing on trying not to black out.

_“I’ll be fi-”_

I felt a pair of hands on my back. Then a calming power over me. My shakes had already settled down. Emilia helped me up on my feet. The nervousness was still there, but it was manageable. Something deep down was telling me to keep it together.

I had to follow that feeling.

At the very least for the others.

_“Are you okay?”_

_“Yeah...just a mild panic attack. It’s mostly passed now.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Positive, let’s go. It’s like you said, we don’t much time on our hands.”_

The pods really were easy to purify. Just a few attacks and they were gone. I don’t know how they could grow in so many environments. I bet if Maya was here, she would have loved to do research on these. If we succeeded, ten the research won’t be needed.

Though it would have been great to learn more about the Dark Falz and the Seed.

We finally reached the central room with no difficulty after the pods were gone. When we arrived, Nagisa looked like she was barely holding on to her sense of self. Her skin looked sickly. We could all feel the darkness seeping out of her body. It was almost nauseous. Emilia ran over to try and help her up, but Nagisa pushed her away.

_“Why...why?”_

_“Are you alright Nagisa?”_

_“Why are you all here? I’m beyond saving.”_

I sighed to myself.

I was kind of fed up with this talk.

So I may or may not have grabbed by her collar.

_“You’re not beyond saving dammit! I’m not going to give up on you!”_

She pushed me away as well.

When I gained my composure, I saw the darkness was manifesting itself even more. It swirled around Nagisa’s body in red photons. I could feel how much more potent it was.

_“Prepare yourself Ami! Kill me!”_

I gave the others a look to not interfere. I took out my twin daggers. I knew it was time to get serious, it couldn’t be like Clad 6. In my mind, I was chuckling at bit at her stubbornness. She would need a swift hit on the head to get her to understand that she’s worth saving.

Nagisa is certainly a handful.

We fought. It was more like her attacking while I was blocking in reality. She did have the range advantage. Since our last fight, she shaped up on her attacks. I couldn’t find any open spots. If I could, I would love to just draw the battle out like last time.

But with Crowley heading to Clad 6, I couldn’t afford the time.

I did start to pick up on her tells when she did various attacks. Like she would yell when doing slashes and such. It was such a risky move, but I needed to get into her space and confuse her. It didn’t go without injury though. I got nicked with her sword a few times, but nothing I haven’t faced before. I slashed at her a couple times with my bladed ends. I purposefully avoided any major injuries. A well placed punch to her chest was enough to knock her back.

Then she looked at me.

Instead of the rage like at Clad 6.

There was sadness.

She ran at me.

_“Ami!”_

_“Ami?”_

I dropped my blades and let her attack me. I felt the sword pierce my shoulder as I was pinned against one of the pillars. I winced at the stab, but it wasn’t fatal. I was relieved to see that Nagisa was feeling the same as I about this.

_“Why Ami? Can’t you see that this is making me suffer?”_

_“I know. I’m a bit selfish. But I refuse to kill you. I want to save you. I won’t be doing my job if you didn’t come back to us.”_

_‘Is that your choice then?’_

I touched Nagisa’s sword. I felt the blade cut into my hand a bit.

_“Yeah, I’m making sure she’s coming back alive.”_

At my declaration, Wynarl laughed. It wasn’t a mocking laugh, but more in relief. Apparently Nagisa should have given into Dark Falz’s influence a long time ago. But she watched us trying to reach her. She kept holding on. Even when she was asking for death, her body refused it right until we showed up.

Why did she refuse?

_‘Nagisa, tell me what it is you truly want?’_

_“Want? I...no. I can’t, I have to. But, together?”_

_‘Say it Nagisa! What do you desire with all your heart?’_

_“...to live.”_

_‘Louder!’_

_“I want to live.”_

_‘Shout it as if it’s your last words!’_

_“I want to live! Everyone, Ami, Wynarl I want to live!”_

At that moment, the darkness left Nagisa and went to Wynarl instead. It was his plan from the start. Dark Falz can’t thrive on any amount of positive emotions. If Nagisa could harness those feelings, Dark Falz couldn’t use her body as a vessel. His goal was to make her realize these emotions. Emilia tried to get Wynarl to hold on, but trapping Dark Falz in his body was top priority. I took a notice to Nagisa. She seemed more like her usual self. Cool and confident. I laughed a little to myself. She really just needed a reminder of her worth.

_“Is this really okay?”_

_‘Dark Falz and Crowley are remnants of a the generation long past. It’s better if they disappeared. To ensure that the future will be in your hands.’_

_“Stop being so poetic; it doesn’t suit you.”_

_‘Ah touchy, touchy. But you will grant me my wish right?’_

_“Of course, just leave it to us.”_

Emilia had left to disable Crowley’s collision course. So Nagisa took her place in fighting Dark Falz. This form was different from the one I faced on Rykros. More majestic? It feels odd to describe Dark Falz as majestic. The moment it appeared, the central area transformed into a grand hall.

But something felt odd.

I felt lighter?

Dark Falz Dios was several stories taller than us. So it made sense for us to go after the feet first. But when a creature could kill you with one step., it’s hard to try and hit it. Shizuru and Yuto had ranged weapons, which made it bearable.

_“Wait. Doesn’t the left hind leg look brighter than the others?”_

_“It does. You think it’s Wynarl?”_

_“Cheeky guy. He’s still helping us, even now. Attack that point!”_

When we struck that spot, it seem to take more damage than any other spot. To the point that the orange orb-like structure shattered with a critical blow.

A side note: It really hurts when those shards hit your skin.

Especially when they hit open wounds.

I paid the pain no attention as we kept up the attacks. Dios will use any advantage it can to try and stop us. Soon enough, the orbs on its legs were broken. But we didn’t let up. My left arm started to feel the stress of being used with untreated injuries. The others could see that it was starting to have its toll on me.

_“Ami, do you need a Resta?”_

_“No, I’ll be fine. These are nothing. Focus all your energy on Dark Falz. He has to be stopped. I won’t let him live after all the sacrifices made to destroy him.”_

The problem still posed that the other attack areas were his head and torso, which are very high up. I thought about our current situation. None of our weapons had the range to reach those spots. Maybe a rifle. But he needed to be stationary for it. Despite its huge frame, Dios could move fast. We would never get a good shot in.

It was a fleeting thought.

If only I could fly.

I felt myself getting lifted up. It felt disorienting to change heights so quickly. When I stabilized, I realized I was on Dios’ torso. The others soon caught on and floated up at well. We started to attack the other orbs with a renewed strength. Before long an orange flame surrounded Dark Falz. I guess it was starting to take us seriously.

Of course it was during that time I would start to lose focus.

_“Ami!”_

I could see the others running towards me.

I wanted to tell them to not worry about me and just keep fighting, but my body had become numb. I didn’t even realize it had done that. My vision was fading fast, the need to close my eyes was overpowering. I hope I wasn’t dying from my injuries. I didn’t want to die, not before Dark Falz was just a memory. The numbness soon gave way to a floating feeling. It felt a little pleasant.

_“Ami?”_

I groaned at the calling of my name. I wanted to sleep for a while longer.

_“Come on Dear Ami, time to get up.”_

I groaned again.

Only one person could call me that.

When I opened my eyes, Hyuga was looking at me. Which was odd. He was in Parum. I looked around to see that I was in a hospital room. So I guess I was in Parum too? The last few moments were hazy, to say the least.

_“Hyuga? What are you doing here?”_

_“What am I doing here? I’ve been visiting you since your admittance.”_

Admitted?

_“What happened? I remember being on Crowley fighting Dark Falz. What happened to Nagisa and the others?”_

_“Relax. Crowley has been safely taken care of. You were sleeping for a very long time. You suddenly blacked out and the others thought you died too.”_

Wait a second.

_“Too?”_

Hyuga looked away from my stare. Something was up. He was hesitating on telling me something. Did someone die? I grabbed on his sleeve.

_“Tell me.”_

_“...Nagisa...she. She didn’t make it. From the reports, after you passed out during the fight they were struggling against Dark Falz. The barely survived the fight without your guidance. Nagisa decided to stay behind so the rest of you can make it out alive.”_

My body froze at the news. Nagisa couldn’t be dead. She couldn’t be. She told us she wanted to live. It was her heartfelt wish. My heart was breaking. I couldn’t save her. After I said all of that and promised she would survive, she didn’t. I failed to grant a simple wish. I started to cry. I didn’t care at this point that I was crying in front of Hyuga. He put his arms around my shoulders in an attempt to console me. I shivered at the touch, his hands felt icy.

_“Ssh, ssh. It’s alright Ami. Nagisa most likely died happy knowing that her friends survived.”_

_“That’s not the point! She wanted to live. I wanted to save her dammit! She held on from Dark Falz for so long just because she wanted to live. I told her, no more sacrifices. How can I even live knowing that I couldn’t even grant a simple wish.”_

_“Do you want to take her place?”_

Before I could even question the statement, I felt hands grasp around my neck. I felt the tight grip on the hold.

_“Hy-hyuga?”_

I struggled as much as I could against the hold. But my weakened state combined with his Duman strength went into his favor. During the struggle, I managed to knock the glasses off his face. Now without the glasses, I could tell this was not Hyuga.

It looked like him, talked like him.

But this wasn’t him.

This being was smiling at my attempts to get free. I moved my body away from him with as much strength I could muster. The clatter of the table and machines sounded through the room as I fell to the floor. I only had a brief moment of relief before I felt those hands grasp my neck again. Now I was pinned to the floor by this being’s mass on top of me. He seemed to smile more as my fights became weaker.

_“When can it end? It can end right now. One who has been touched by the Light. It can all stop with just an answer. Give yourself to the profound darkness.”_

_“I-I...”_

_“Why hesitate my dearest? You wanted no more sacrifices? Just submit and we will make a place were sacrifices are no longer necessary. In return all your desires will come reality.”_

Could it really be that easy?

My mind struggled with the decision. I was tired of all the fighting, all the needless deaths. I was sick of being hurt by these deaths. It would be easier if I just gave up.

_“Don’t give in. Remember the positives of this world!”_

My eyes opened on wide at the voice. I didn’t know who it was but the moment they said it, memories flooded my brain.

_‘I’ll protect you.’_

Memories of those times I felt at my best.

_“Manifest those feelings into a focus.”_

_“No! Don’t!”_

_‘If you want my honest opinion, you’re in love with him.’_

_‘A lot of people would have missed you if you died. I would have missed you.’_

_“It’s alright to feel weak. To feel like you want to give up. But never giving up is what makes us stronger.”_

I felt a strong light separate from the being and myself. I coughed at my suddenly ability to breathe again. The light pulsated in front of me. It was so bright and so warm. I couldn’t resist the urge to try and touch it.

_“Don’t listen to that light! It’s a lie! Do you want to continue with this sad existence?”_

_“Silence! You will not spout any more lies!”_

I touched the light. It felt so warm, like something trusting. I wanted to apologize for that lapse of weakness, but it seemed to sense my uneasiness. Like it was telling me it’s alright that I felt like that. I felt the tears stroll down my face at the light’s understanding. I felt the light completely bathe me in its presence.

_“You are not alone.”_

_“Ami?”_

Nagisa was looking at me with a concerned look on her face. I felt my heart beat so fast as I woke up. Instinctively, I touched my neck. It didn’t feel sore. It took a moment to fully realize I was back on Crowley. It only took a few moments longer before I realize what exactly just happened to me.

And I was pissed.

I wasn’t going to let that go. Howzer did that to me once, I wasn’t going to let that happen again.

_“Nagisa, get Yuto and Shizuru out of the way.”_

_“Ami...I understand.”_

I stood up. I noticed that my arm wasn’t bleeding as much anymore. But it still throbbed with pain. What I was about to do would probably make it worse, but I didn’t care. My anger completely clouded my logic. I pulled out my left hand towards Dios. Immediately could feel the electricity gather on my outstretched hand. The electricity combined with the photons gathering from the air.

_“How dare you! How dare you use my emotions against me!”_

I started to laugh at feeling all this power in my hands.

Dark Falz really would stop at nothing to achieve its goals.

Neither would I.

_“I won’t let you get away with that! Come, Canna!”_

Canna was the name of the beast behind the lightening based mirage blast. I usually don’t use mirage blasts because of my sensitivity to intensive photons. But I was angry and didn’t think about the effects of my actions. I watched with fierce intensity as the bird creature flew around the area filling it with lightening strikes. But I felt deep down it wouldn’t be enough. So I pushed more of my energy into the attack. Usually there’s a limit put on the units that housed the mirage blasts so that we don’t overdo it. I somehow pushed past those limits when I heard a clicking detached down. Almost immediately after, a strong twinge of pain shot from my hand to my shoulder.

But even then, I still pushed on.

I wasn’t going to stop until Canna gave everything it had and then some.

When it disappeared, Dios was staggering. I switched to my sword and ran in after it. I noticed the others followed my lead. They didn’t need me to vocally say what needed to be done. I was more focused on destroying Dios. I knew our only chance to finish it would be now.

We heard a groan.

Dios staggered back and began to disappear in a light.

_“Did we win?”_

I didn’t hear anyone respond to my question. My eyes were still adjusting to the sudden flash of light. I worried that something might have happened to the others. But if something did happen, I had faith that they would be fine. I began to walk, hoping to find a way out.

_‘Ami...’_

I stopped.

I turned around. Standing behind me was Wynarl. He looked calm for a change. I started to feel a strong resemblance to Mika when looking at him.

_‘Thank you for everything. We really did pick the right person for this.’_

_“I had to do what I must. Dark Falz had to be stopped at any cost.”_

_‘I’m glad you felt that way. I can see why the others rely on you so much. I just came to say thanks before we parted ways.’_

_“So you’re really leaving?”_

_‘I have to. It’s like I said, the remnants of the past need to be gone to entrust the future to you all. But before I go, I wanted to do something for you. You had to deal with a lot thanks to Nagisa and I. It isn’t much but I hope this moment would be enough.’_

He moved over to reveal someone behind him.

I looked on in shock at the person. I couldn’t help the tears from falling down. I ran towards them and just hugged them.

_“Mom! Mom...”_

I wasn’t sure if this was real or just a manifestation of my memories, but I didn’t care. I missed her so much since she died. She patted me as I cried years of tears for her. I knew in the end it would make it harder when we had to part ways again, but I still held on to her. I always wanted Mom to see me as I am now. I wanted her to see how much I’ve grown since then.

_“There’s so much I wanted to say to you.”_

_“I know Ami. I’ve been watching. You’ve made me proud.”_

_“I’m so sorry about everything, if I hadn’t been there then you woul-”_

_“Shh, shh, I never blamed you. I never regretted my actions for that day.”_

I knew our time was running short. As much as I wanted her to stay and as much as I wanted to be with her. It just wasn’t time for us to truly reunite yet. We separated from our embrace. I took in as much as I could visually of her. I wanted to remember as much as I could before we were separated again. I noticed Wynarl touched my mom’s shoulder and shared a nod. They started to walk away.

_“Wynarl!”_

_‘Hmm?’_

_“Thanks. And…I’m going to miss you adding darling to my name.’_

Wynarl looked shocked my confession before smiling.

_‘Well Ami darling, I’m going to miss you too.’_

I blinked a few times. I realized I was back in the room in which we fought Dios. It was quiet and peaceful. The area looked pretty with the glassed walls and ceiling showing the universe. I stared at the stars for a very long time. Looking at them created a calmness over me. I think I was finally at peace with myself. At least for now.

I could hear the others call me, but I didn’t answer them. Not yet. I just needed a few more moments to myself. I knew they must have been worried about me. My attire was torn into shreds while my injuries were flaring up again. But my soul finally felt like it could move on.

Illusion or not, Mom was proud of who I’ve become.

Emilia announced that the collision course to Clad 6 was aborted and Crowley would make its descent back into Parum. So all that was left was to call Tylor and go home. While the ship was descending, it had finally hit me. Gurhal was freed from Dark Falz. Completely.

I had did my duty I promised long ago and protected Gurhal.

_“Welcome back. I see you kept your promise and brought everyone back.”_

I smiled at Tylor’s remark as we all boarded the Landell. Hyuga was there to welcome us as well via communit. Everyone looked so happy, as they should be. We just did something amazing, something to rival our ancestors. It’s been too long since I felt this happiness as well.

_“Of course I did. I make good on my promises. I meant what I said when I was going to save her.”_

_“We never doubted you for a moment.”_

_“That’s good, I would have been worried if you ha-”_

Oh, this was not good for the joyous mood at all.

My body started to shake as I knelt to the ground. I felt so bad I was retching on the floor, but even more shocked when I realized it was blood. Pain coursed through my entire body, with increased intensity. I felt hands trying to stabilize me. Was it Emilia’s? Nagisa’s? I couldn’t tell, I was focusing on not blacking out to the pain. Everyone was trying to talk to me, their voices muddled in my mind.

It would probably help too if they all weren’t talking at the same time.

I tried as hard as I could, but I couldn’t take the pain anymore. Before I knew it I was looking at the ceiling of Landeel. The lights were the only thing I remembered before finally succumbing to the call of unconsciousness.


	7. The Power of Bonds

I was awakened by the soft beeps. I remember seeing the brightness of the room I was sleeping in. I felt a sense of deja vu. All this felt like the beginning of that illusion I was under. I looked out of the window and saw the GRM building in the distance, so I knew I was in Holtes City on Parum. I struggled to get into a sitting position. Soon I realized my left arm was heavily bandaged and in a sling. I could feel various other wrappings on my body as well. I guess I really did overdo it in that fight.

_“Ami? You’re awake.”_

_“Ah, yeah.”_

Hyuga had come to my room. It was odd to see him. I honestly thought he would be busy with the Crowley aftermath to visit. But the way that he was carrying himself, he wasn’t a stranger to my room. A part of me wonder what his responsibilities were; there was no way that a president of one of the top manufacturing companies in Gurhal had time to come see me. I wondered if he’s rethinking his decision to take up GRM.

But I’m just speculating.

_“You’re lucky you’re in the position you are right now.”_

_“Huh wh-”_

_“You’re so reckless! You scared everyone to death when you passed out! There were a few times we thought you wouldn’t make it. You’re the oldest and their leader. If something would have happened to you, what would have they done? If you died, what would we have done? What would I have done? Darn it Ami, I would feel terrible if I had to tell Shion that his daughter died because she was too reckless and refused healing for some vendetta!”_

By the time he was done, he was glaring at me. I almost shirked from his stare. Instead I looked down at my arm that was in a sling. In retrospect I was a little reckless.

_“I had to do it. I had to be the one to defeat Dark Falz completely. You know what we went through to make sure it was gone the first time. Professor Tomrain died hoping we would finish this once and for all. I had to follow through, no matter what happened to me.”_

_“You’re not the only one who wanted Dark Falz gone.”_

_“I know that! But it was **my** responsibility. Do you know how I felt when Emilia told me to truth behind those fragments? That I wasn’t thorough enough? That the reason that Gurhal had been in a decline since the Rykros sealing was because Dark Falz was existing in some form? I got demoted from being the Commander and ultimately left the Guardians without completing the one thing I set out to do?”_

_“Wait, you were demoted?”_

_“That’s not important. So yes, thinking about it now I was reckless. But I couldn’t let it go. It was my last shot, one way or another.”_

_“I know Ami. I was a Guardian too, I know. With what we talked about earlier before you went to Crowley, I thought the worst.”_

I noticed that Hyuga seemed a bit distracted than the normal. It was then I noticed that the back of his hand was bandaged. It wasn’t as heavy as mines, but usually those are used when someone gives bl-

_“Hyuga, did you give some blood?”_

His face turned slightly pink at my question.

_“You lost so much and there was a shortage of your blood type. It turns out we have the same type. They needed to do something fast or your body was going to reject the healing so I volunteered.”_

I was silent at the admission, before looking at my arm in the sling. I guess he took my silence as something.

_“Don’t worry, you can’t become a Duman because of that. It’s not that different from receiving Beast or Newman blood.”_

_“Oh...I wasn’t disgusted about that. Sorry if it looked like it was. I’m just thankful.”_

_“I’m not offended. There’s still quite a lot about Dumans that isn’t known. Don’t worry too much about it.”_

The day went by with just Hyuga updating me on what happened after I passed out. Crowley safely reached into Parum’s airspace and was under heavy protection until leaders figured out what to do with it. While they were figuring out a permanent fate for it, researchers were already going inside doing studies to learn about the Ancients. Other than that, Gurhal was pretty much falling back into a normal pace.

_“I should get going, the doctors will probably want to check you out since you’re awake.”_

_“I see...thanks. Really I mean it.”_

_“That’s what friends are for right?”_

He made a motion to touched my slinged arm. But I couldn’t get the thought of that vision of him strangling me out of my head. Instinctively, I moved my arm out of the way. I wasn’t sure if he noticed my apprehension. Instead he lightly touched my shoulder before leaving the room.

A couple days passed since then and I was released from the hospital. Emilia was the one to bring me back to Clad 6. During our ride back home she caught me up on the what happened with Clad 6 and Little Wing while I was away.

Mainly, Nagisa left when the doctors told them I would survive and she hasn’t been seen since.

I wasn’t angry that she left. I could understand the need for space. She had just lost someone who was close to her. I think Emilia understood too, since she’s been through the same thing. She didn’t press for anyone to look for her. Once I got back, I was pulled off the active list in Little Wing so I can heal up proper. Most of my time off was just doing paperwork, seems I had a lot of reports to make.

I was a few weeks into my time off when I got a call from Hyuga.

_“How are you today? I heard you’re on inactive duty.”_

_“Ah yeah. I’m better now. They took the sling off a few days ago so I can start training with my weapons again.”_

_“That’s good to hear. You’ve always been a fast healer.”_

_“So what brings you to calling me today?”_

_“I was wondering if you’re feeling up for going on a mission with me?”_

_“With you? Well, I don’t mind. I haven’t been on any so I’m feeling restless.”_

_“Great, I’ll let the others know and add you in.”_

_“Others?”_

_“Karen and Ethan are partnering up with us as well.”_

_“I’m surprised they have time. Even more so that Laia gave them time off.”_

We both shared a chuckle at the truthfulness of that statement. Apparently, there’s a race going on in Neudaiz and the three of them are going to participate. They needed a fourth member and all agreed to ask me to come along. I think this was the first time all four of us were going to partner up at the same time. I hadn’t seen Ethan and Karen since they helped with the subspace incident, so I was looking forward to it.

But if I was being honest, I was glad it would be others coming with us.

I think with that illusion, it would still be too awkward to be around Hyuga by myself.

In a couple days we were meet at Ohtori Castle. Despite the excitement, I was still apprehensive over going on a mission now. I really didn’t know how I was feeling mentally about everything.

The time to go for the race came too quickly. I arrived at the entrance to the race, noticing how full it was of people. It seemed like a huge turnout of participants and spectators alike. I did read up a little on the race before I left. Apparently every thirty years they held a Great Holy Light Festival. What makes it different from the yearly Holy Light Festival was that a God-Beast appears and it’s said that challenging it and defeating it brings good fortune to the victors. It’s hard to imagine that so many are appearing for the chance to face a creature like that. Anyway Ethan, Karen, and Hyuga were waiting by the entry gate to the castle when I showed up.

_“Sorry about that, the shuttle was delayed a little.”_

_“It’s no problem at all Ami. It’s good to see you again.”_

_“You too Karen. And good to see you Ethan.”_

_“Been way too long.”_

We chatted for a while, catching each other up on our lives. A lot of people started to gather at the starting point of the race so we started to make our way as well.

_“Wait! Please, wait one moment!”_

We were stopped by the famous news reporter Hal. Word got out that we were participants of the race. We were predicted by the audience to be the ones to actually win it. She wanted us to escort her through the race so she can get a story first hand and meet the God-Beast, Yaoroz.

Well, to be fair I don’t blame the audience for thinking that way.

Our team consisted of the Hero of the Seed Invasion, the former Divine Maiden, and the president of GRM.

...and then there was me. Just a nameless part of helping Gurhal.

The fanfare sounded to signal the start of the race. The first part was pretty straight forward, getting the keys to get to the inner part of castle gate. Considering our team formation, we were familiar with this part of the race. It was pretty straightforward and any creatures we faced were easily taken of. By the time we were finished, we were way ahead of the others.

I wonder how many groups exactly were participating.

_“It feels like old times doesn’t it?”_

_“It does. With the four of us so busy with our own paths, it’s nice to meet up like this.”_

_“Though, I’ve heard that you and Ami have been partnering up on quite a few missions lately.”_

_“Ethan cut that out! It’s just coincidence that I was chosen to be on these missions with Hyuga.”_

With the way Ethan was looking at me, I don’t think he believed that.

But it was the truth...mostly.

_“Ethan, leave Ami alone. I didn’t think you’d be such a gossiper.”_

_“Karen, we both know that’s not why I’m asking.”_

_“Wait a minute. What did you tell her?”_

_“Nothing. Maya told her.”_

_“I swear to god.”_

_“I mean, when you think about it. It’s pretty obvious.”_

_“What is?”_

Ethan and I completely forgotten that there was a reporter in our group, effectively listening in on our conversation.

_“It’s nothing don’t worry about it.”_

_“Right, absolutely nothing.”_

Hal seemed to look at the four of us intensely. It was a bit unnerving. On the screens she’s so nice and bubbly, but seeing her in the flesh I can’t help but feel that there’s something more to her. I couldn’t place my finger on what though.

_“Since we have some free time, Ami isn’t it? How do you feel about your chances of today’s race? Being partnered up with such renowned people, it has to feel a little overwhelming?”_

I wasn’t sure how to answer that.

I wasn’t offended by the question. All things considered, my name is never really brought up when discussing Gurhal’s state. But I think it might be best to try and answer as civilly as possible.

_“Should I feel overwhelmed?”_

_“Excuse me?”_

_“Well...we were all Guardians together. So I know them as just themselves, not as the titles everyone gave them or their job descriptions. Thinking it that way, I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed. Anyway we should keep going if we don’t want to lose our lead.”_

I kept going forward, not trying to gauge Hal’s reaction. Or the others for that matter. I wasn’t mad, maybe a little at the insinuation of Hal’s question. But it was the opposite for the most part.

It’s hard to shake the words Dark Falz spoke to me on Crowley.

All Dark Falz does is manifest those negative feelings already inside you.

So I wondered if deep inside I felt that I was meant for solitude?

The simple answer should have been an immediate no.

But…

_“Ami?”_

I flinched at Hyuga touching my shoulder. I was thankful that it was a flinch. With how I’ve been feeling, it could have easily been a scream. I put on my best smile to try to ease his mind. I really didn’t want him know was going on with me mentally.

_“Are you okay?”_

_“I’m alright. Just rusty.”_

_“You sure? You’ve been a bit distant lately.”_

_“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”_

I wasn’t sure if he believed my answer.

We passed through the next area of the race. That part of the race had a reliance to jump panels that were through the perimeter. I was curious about how such things worked. Hal had kept us up to date on the other teams while going through the area. A part of me was amazed at how well she was keeping up with our movements.

There was a rumor going around a while back that she may not even be human.

Anyway, she told us that a lot of groups had started to drop out of the race. We finally reached a common rest area before the entry to the last leg of the race. It was a good place to take a break, and to gauge how many more groups were left. We needed to prepare, just in case we won the race and was granted an immediate audience with Yaoroz.

_“Ah! It looks like there’s another group that might provide some serious competition to the audience favorites. But it looks like they are in discussion over something.”_

As Hal got closer to the group, her expression turned into surprise.

The other group happened to consist of Emilia, Shizuru, Lumia, and Yuto. I honestly didn’t even know that the four of them were participating, much less together. But they weren’t having a discussion. It was more like an argument. I didn’t even want to approach them with that, lest I get pulled in as well. Even with me feeling the way I was now, I knew arguments between them can get heated fast.

No doubt they’re all friends and will make up afterwards. But they are a competitive bunch.

Especially Emilia and Shizuru. Those two seem to be the main culprits.

I wonder about their relationship.

Hal realized she wasn’t going to get a story out of them so we started the last part of the race. Which was more of a quiz type area. The premise was simple, we would get asked questions about things and the warps represented answers. The correct answers were a shortcut to meet Yaoroz while wrong answers would have us take the long way.

Needless to say, our group got through it with no difficulties.

Our combined knowledge made it arguably the easiest of the blocks we’ve done.

_“It appears that the audience favorite have reached the Yaoroz stage at last! But the true trial lies ahead. Will our group be able to pass?”_

_“Everyone get ready.”_

Ethan had suggested that Hal move to a safe distance. There were no guarantees for her safety once the fight started. But she refused, saying that since we were risking our lives for this fight she would risk hers to make sure her story would show us in a positive light.

Despite the risks of having a civilian with us, I couldn’t argue with her logic.

She understood the risks of her decision and wouldn’t hold us liable if something did happen.

_“Alright fine. But don’t do anything stupid.”_

_“Right!”_

We all waited on the platform for the God-Beast to finally appear. And boy, did it make an entrance. In a flash of light and flames it appeared before us. Yaoroz was huge. Almost rivaling Dark Falz Dios in height. Despite the intimidating size, there was an aura of calmness and regal to it.

_“You who have reached this far, we are who oversee life and the tranquility of the soul.”_

I wasn’t sure if Yaoroz had a gender, but I had a female feeling from it.

We all stood in awe of her presence.

I can see, feel, why she’s a God-Beast.

_“You have proven your worth by reaching us. Now we shall give you this final trial. Defeat us and prove the strength of your bonds!”_

Strength of our bonds?

I wasn’t sure what she had meant by that. But something told me I knew, just that I wasn’t seeing it clearly. The conditions of fighting Yaoroz was simple, considering it was a trial. Destroy all five of her masks that were on each of her legs and her head. Or we can brute force our way to defeat her the old fashioned way. Either condition would let us win.

Simple doesn’t mean easy.

Being a centuries old creature, she had a lot of durability. And we couldn’t pick and choose which mask to attack. Only one mask was available to be attacked at any one time. If we hit the wrong one, we would be faced with a penalty. With those in mind, we began our fight. We saw that she had a preference over fire photons. We did have ice-imbued weapons, but I had a feeling that even with the elemental advantage we were still going to take a long while with this fight.

Yaoroz was fast as well, regardless of her large frame.

My mind was still nagging about the “Power of Bonds” she spoke about.

_“Is this the true limits of your bonds? We are disappointed.”_

_“Goddammit.”_

I noticed that Karen seemed pretty calm about the fight. I guess it would be with what we’re up against. It’s hard to forget that out of our group, she’s had the most experience as a Guardian and she was the former Divine Maiden.

_“Hmm...”_

_“Karen?”_

_“Ah, I see now. Ami, you and Hyuga figure out a way to hit the mask on the head. Ethan and I will distract her.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Yes. Think about her words. We have to work as a unit to defeat her. That is our bonds.”_

I couldn’t protest since she left as soon as she finished speaking. I will admit, I was a bit apprehensive about the idea. I shouldn’t be, since I trusted the three of them with my life.

But Dark Falz’s words…

My determination to win was stronger.

_“Hyuga, I need you to focus your power into your hands.”_

_“Ami, what are you-”_

_“I need you to use your power to boost me up.”_

_“You’re not-. Don’t you have any other weapons?”_

_“I’m a twin daggers specialist. Let’s face it, none of my other weapons will be as powerful.”_

_“...Alright.”_

I moved back a good distance and waiting on Hyuga. I was mentally a mess, but I had to clear it for now. I had to concentrate.

_“Ami, I’m ready!”_

I noticed that Hyuga’s hands were surrounded in a blue aura, just like when he performs an Infinity Blast. I had to do this with no hesitations. Even with the slightest doubt I could seriously injure myself. I had to trust my partner.

_“You only get one shot, don’t mess this up.”_

I ran as fast as I could towards him. I put all the strength in my legs. Hyuga was bracing himself for me. I used his hands as a stepping platform and he used his power as a Duman as a booster. Our combined power shot me high in the air.

Higher than I really expected.

I think I understood when Wynarl had said Hyuga had hidden strength now that he was a Duman.

I switched to my twin daggers and prepared a downwards slash at Yaoroz’s face mask. I felt my arms shake and the contact between the two forces.

But as I fell down to the ground, I saw a black sparkle.

_“It appears that you all have begun to understand. An unfortunate effort however.”_

It looks like the face mask was the wrong one.

There was a sharp ringing sound. Then I can see a meteor-type attack heading straight for me. Yaoroz’s penalty. It wasn’t as bad the planet sized meteors Dark Falz does. It was going to hurt so much. My mind knew I had to move, but my body was recovering from the stunt I pulled.

There wasn’t going to be enough time for me to move out of the way.

So I braced for the impact.

_“Ami!”_

I felt getting pushed to the ground. Then an intense heat. When the heat died down, I noticed I was under someone.

_“Hyuga!”_

_“A-are you okay?”_

_“Y-yeah.”_

_“Good...I couldn’t bear to see you injured again.”_

My eyes widened at his words. I managed to move away from him. Not because of my anxiety of being around him, but rather I needed space to treat his injuries. I noticed the blue hue that adorned his jacket, showing he was using his ice lineshield.

Dammit, doesn’t he know that having it makes the damage worse?

I took out a rod and put it over his wound. I concentrated my focus into healing him. I felt the Resta technic come out and concentrate onto his injury. I watched as the gashes and burns heal up.

_“Why did you do that?”_

_“What?”_

_“Save me. I would have been okay.”_

_“I, somehow doubt that. But it doesn’t matter. We always cover each other. If our positions were switched you would do the same thing. That’s what friends do.”_

I stared at him for a moment. He was right. The four of us would have done that for one another. I kept that fact in the back of my mind as we tried to attack Yaoroz again. I noticed that our attacks were more in sync than before. I think I was starting to believe in our friendship. One by one, each mask was destroyed. Eventually Yaoroz herself went down.

_“We yield. You who are touched by the Light, we recognize your bond. With the succession of this trial we share our power with you all.”_

I wasn’t sure what she meant. But I felt something resonate within me. Was it Yaoroz’s power? I don’t know really. But it was something I hadn’t felt before.

_“Never forget the experiences shared today. Our souls shall remain within you, never wavering.”_

As soon as Yaoroz disappeared, the crowd erupted into applause. I had forgotten that people were actually watching us fight. Hal went over to interview Karen, Ethan, and Hyuga. I wasn’t put off by it at all.

I accepted that I really wasn’t meant for that kind of life.

It felt right this way.

The crowds were thinning out from the arena. But I stayed on the platform looking at the sky. This battle made me rethink about the past few weeks and my feelings.

_“Ami?”_

_“Ah, Karen. You needed something from me?”_

_“No, just that the interviews are done and we’re almost ready to go.”_

_“Okay then...”_

Karen moved to stand beside me. It was a comfortable silence. As far back as I can remember, this is the first time she and I were around each others’ company. Usually there was Ethan or Maya with us. I couldn’t tell if this was awkward or if I welcomed it. It’s hard to believe that we’re the same age, but she has accomplished so much and done a lot for Gurhal as the Divine Maiden.

_“It seems you’re better now.”_

_“What?”_

_“I’m sorry, my time as the Maiden has made me far more observant than usual. I felt some distress coming from you. I didn’t tell the others because I think they would jump to conclusions and overreact. Especially Hyuga.”_

_“Is it really that obvious?”_

_“No, not really. But I appreciate you looking out for him. He doesn’t say so outwardly but he cares for you.”_

_“I see...Thanks. If you would have told them, I think they would overreact too.”_

_“Do you want to talk about it?”_

I thought about saying no. But she was the Divine Maiden. It couldn’t hurt to talk to her. Even more than that, Karen was a friend. And I think I needed a friend to talk to.

_“It shouldn’t have bothered me but when I fought Dark Falz on Crowley, he showed me an illusion. I was so tired of the sacrifices and I didn’t want Nagisa to be one either. I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. I...I almost gave in. Howzer said something similar, that the people I care about will eventually sacrifice themselves for me. I don’t want that for anyone. I thought distancing myself, my heart from everyone would be better. But that didn’t work. I just wanted all this needless bloodshed and sacrifices to end. I was selfish.”_

I had said the one thing I was trying to avoid admitting.

_“You’re not selfish Ami.”_

_“It’s alright, I know I am. Dark Falz festered on that selfishness in my heart and turned it into a weakness. My mother died so I can live, President Dallgun, Professor Tomrain, even Mirei, they all died in the hopes we’d have a future without the Seed. And I was just an answer away from giving all that up.”_

_“But you didn’t. I think today even proved that. Despite those insecurities, you kept fighting. It’s alright to feel like that, we’re people. What separates us from the others is that we don’t give in to those insecurities or try to take the easy way out. Don’t think you have the need to take all of this on alone. I think it’s a lot easier to bear when you have friends to help lighten the load. You know we all won’t judge you if you sometimes have those thoughts.”_

I stared at Karen. She was right. It should have been obvious. But it took this for me to realize. Everyone kept telling me I wasn’t alone, but I wasn’t really listening. I shouldn’t harp on my loneliness or my weaknesses. I have people who accept me with all of that. I’ve made a lot of bonds during my travels and I should focus more on the positives of those. I’m more than my duties.

_“Thanks Karen, I appreciate the talk.”_

_“No problem. I’m glad you can trust me to talk about it.”_

_“Of course.”_

_“We should get going though, the boys might send a search team.”_

_“Right.”_


	8. More for Me to Do

After everything had cleared from the Crowley incident, life started to go back to normal. Well as normal as it could be. Emilia was back traveling all over Gurhal for research, sometimes with Shizuru. Yuto was still going back and forth between Clad 6 and his home village. It seemed that everyone was busy with one thing or another.

Before we knew it, a few months had passed by.

A few months since I had seen Nagisa.

Sometimes I get the urges to go out and find her. After all, she left without saying goodbye to anyone. But I stop myself. She needed the time away from everyone. A lot happened on Crowley, both physical and emotional. I think it was expected she needed time to process it all.

As for me, I was put on inactive duty in Little Wing for a while. Everyone figured with my help with Subspace and then this, I deserved the extended time off. I don’t know if I felt truly relieved at their decision. But I was happy they at least let me do some training missions. But I get restless. So I had taken the time to catch up on my education and visiting friends.

A lot of my visits were to Hilde.

It felt nice to have her to talk to. She’s known me for the longest, even when I was a civilian. I was able to talk to her about things that I couldn’t really with anyone else. She was like an older sister to me. It helped with those moments of periodic loneliness easier to deal with.

Though she kept pushing me to settle down. Or at least date.

I think Mom would be the same way, were she living.

I had just finished an outing with Hilde when my terminal showed I had a message. I find it odd that it’s my terminal that gets the messages, since I always keep my communit on.

_‘Hello Ami darling. It’s been a long time hasn’t it?’_

Wait, that couldn’t be right.

I was looking at a hologram of Wynarl. I shouldn’t be seeing this. Wynarl was gone, he gave up his existence to help us defeat Dark Falz for good.

_“What are you doing here?”_

_‘You’re probably wondering why I’m here talking to you. I left this message in your terminal just in case everything went according to plan. How is Nagisa, by the way? Heh, knowing her she’s probably out traveling alone again. She can’t really stay at one place for too long. I can’t thank you and everyone enough for what you’ve done for her. I just need to ask one more favor from you all.’_

In the message was coordinates to a map. I recognized the area almost immediately. It was a Relics site in Parum. Along with the coordinates was a date.

_‘If you can make an appearance then I would greatly appreciate it Ami darling.’_

Soon after, the message was gone. I stared at my terminal for a long while, just thinking about it. Mostly just why I needed to appear. It was silly to think, but I thought it was a trap. But it was stupid to think that.

_“Ami! Ami!”_

_“Emilia? You’re back from your trip already?”_

_“Yeah, but that’s not important. Did you get a message on your terminal?”_

_“From Wynarl yeah.”_

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who got a message from him. Emilia had gotten it too and she said some others got one as well. The details were different, but they all had the same conclusion.

To meet at that Relics site on that specific date.

_“What does this mean?”_

_“I think I have an idea. But we should wait until that date to see.”_

_“Emilia?”_

_“Just trust me Ami. You over think things.”_

I frowned at Emilia’s statement. But nonetheless I trusted her words. She rarely was wrong. We didn’t have to wait long at any rate. It was only a week before we were to meet at the Relics. It seemed quite a few of us Little Wing members were going. When we arrived, there were already people gathering. I could see Lumia, Yuto, and Shizuru within the crowd.

_“So I assume you all got a message to come here too?”_

_“Oh. Yes I did Hyuga.”_

It would make sense for him to be here as well.

I wouldn’t say things were tense. But I still felt not completely myself, even after the talk with Karen. I wasn’t ashamed. But I wasn’t sure how to approach Hyuga. After that illusion I had, I wondered what it could mean.

_“How are you doing Ami?”_

_“I’m doing okay now.”_

_“Now?”_

It was complicated, to say the least.

I cared for him. And with everything we’ve been through together as comrades and friends, it didn’t sit right with me to leave him out of the loop like this. He deserved to know at least something.

_“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately. Only thing I can really do since Little Wing has me on inactive duty.”_

_“I see, how are your injuries? I remember at the race they weren’t completely healed.”_

_“Better. Completely healed now.”_

_“That’s good to hear. I hoped that the race didn’t slow your healing down.”_

_“Like you said, I’ve always been a fast healer. Anyway, I wanted to apologize for that race and the hospital. I haven’t been the best person to be around lately. Dark Falz isn’t easy to deal with and I was dealing with that.”_

_“I see. Well I’ve forgiven you a while ago. You don’t have to take everything on alone. You have all of us to help out.”_

_“I know. But it was something personal.”_

Which was mostly the truth.

We didn’t talk more before Nagisa showed up. She was surprised at seeing all of us here. I was visibly relieved to see that she was safe. Apparently, the reason why she was here was that she made a promise with Wynarl to come to this Relics site every year for her birthday.

This was the site the two first met.

And today was her birthday.

Wynarl asked us to come here has a gift for her, the gift of friends.

I thought about what Emilia told her about friendship. Then I thought about my journey with Nagisa. Now I knew why Wynarl wanted me to be friends with her so much.

_“This brings back memories.”_

_“Hyuga? Hmm, you’re right. It kind of does.”_

_“It’s feels like a long time since you yourself was like that.”_

_“I don’t understand.”_

_“In a lot of ways, you were like Nagisa when we first met. You were polite, but it seemed more of a formality than anything. But you kept yourself withdrawn. You still do a little. I’ve seen you grown out of your shell.”_

_“I never pegged you to be so intuitive Hyuga.”_

_“Well, I am an expert on the female gender you know.”_

_“Pft, yeah right.”_

_“I can only say so much about you because I was your orientation instructor. You seem happier now that you can be yourself.”_

_“Hmm, I suppose so.”_

I felt his hand touch my shoulder.

It was a pleasant feeling.

_“Ami?”_

_“Nagisa.”_

Nagisa was standing in front of me. Her visible eye was puffy from the crying she did earlier. But she looked nervous. I had wondered why. I hope it wasn’t because of me being here. I smiled in an attempt to ease her mind. Her being here right now was enough for me.

_“A-are you doing better?”_

_“Of course.”_

_“I’m sorry for everything. A lot of those injures were because of me.”_

_“I never blamed you. You had your reasons.”_

_“But!”_

I silenced her with a hug.

_“It’s alright Nagisa. I’m okay now. Don’t blame yourself anymore.”_

_“Ami…? Ami!”_

I felt the shudders and sobs into my chest. I just rubbed her back while she cried. I guess she felt guilty about leaving me the way she did. In the middle of hugging her, I realized something.

She helped me too.

Through our journey for the fragments, through helping Nagisa blend better into society she had helped me reconnect to the self that had left the Guardians. Somehow, I had lost that confidence and self that people said I had. I wouldn’t say I would fully back to that self. I’ve been through so much for that to ever happen, but I think I was content with who I’ve become.

I remembered how to rely on friends again.

Nagisa learning this made me remember as well.

_“It seems I need to thank you Nagisa.”_

_“What for?”_

_“You helped me a lot as well.”_

I knew we were far from done with Gurhal’s problems. There’s no telling what was going to happen in the future. But I think we’d be able to face it, should it come to it.

As long as we can rely on each other.

Though, something was telling me that the biggest challenge was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this basically marks the end of the Infinity story. But I have a few more chapters. They're written a bit differently than before but not by much. And the plots may be a bit more ficcy than what I usually write. So they can be considered side chapters. Just a heads up before I actually start posting those.


	9. Prelude to a Maximum Attack

Six months had passed since I officially finished my duties to Nagisa as her bodyguard. After reuniting with her again in the Relics, she officially became a part of Little Wing. Though she was still able to do her traveling as she saw fit. As for me, I commuted between Parum and Clad 6 now that I wasn’t lined up for missions as much. So much so that I was actually able to attend my university classes instead of online.

Everything seemed to be at peace finally.

That was, until I got back to Clad 6.

I had came back after my semester was over to fully participate in Little Wing again. I was grateful that they were so understanding of my situation. Anyway I was talking with Emilia and Nagisa, just catching up with them. They were both so busy with their own things, it’s hard to keep in constant contact with them.

I realized that Nagisa really reminded me of Vivienne now that she was free of her duties.

Vivienne…

I couldn’t prevent her fate. I met her again on Moatoob when I was just starting out in Little Wing. But she didn’t remember me. There was the possibility that this was a different Vivienne altogether. She was, after all, a copy cast. It made me sad that I couldn’t meet the Vivienne that was my friend again.

Anyway, as soon as I came to my room I noticed my terminal was signaling a message. I was surprised I was getting a message on there so soon when I got inside. I always keep my communit on.

I was more surprised knowing who the sender was.

_“Ah, I’m glad I got you Ami. I was worried I was too late to reach you.”_

_“I’ve been meaning to ask you this, how did you get my contact details to my terminal. If I remember correctly, I only gave you my communit contact Hyuga?”_

_“Reo gave it to me.”_

_“….well damn.”_

My coincidence, I found out that Reo had joined Little Wing a few months before I did. He was out traveling when I had first started. So imagine my surprise when I bumped into him on a mission a while ago.

I consider him a special friend, even though we didn’t hang out as much.

_“Why does it sound like it’s bad I know?"_

Oh right, I forgot that Hyuga was on the line.

_“It’s not, nevermind. What can I do for you?”_

_“How’s your semester? I heard from Shion you just finished up?”_

_“I think I did well, considering how busy I’ve been.”_

_“He seemed pretty excited to learn you’re trying for a degree in Photon Applications like him.”_

I couldn’t be a mercenary forever, so I figured having a degree in something could help me out in the long run.

What irony that I decided to be in the same field as Dad.

_“Yeah, I know. Anyway, I’m pretty positive that you didn’t call me just to check up on my studies.”_

_“You’ve gotten so blunt. I can’t call to check up on a friend?”_

_“If you’re not gonna get to the point then I’m hanging up Hyuga.”_

_“Being so serious doesn’t suit you at all. Anyway, I called because I have a job for you. Rather, Little Wing and the Guardians. I just thought I would personally call to ask you.”_

He gave the details of the mission. There was another colony ship just like Clad 6 called Clad 0. Instead of it being built as a resort colony, it was a pure warship. Why we needed a warship in this era, I don’t even know. Long ago, it was tested and experimented then shut down after they got the necessary data. Somehow, it became online again and set a course for the sun that Gurhal orbits. If we didn’t do anything in time, with the ammunition that Clad 0 carries, it would collide into the sun.

The result?

A massive explosion which will reach all of Gurhal.

…Great.

Researchers from GRM, Skyclad, and Guardians were making calculations of how much time we had until then. So it would be a couple days before we were sent a detailed synopsis.

Well at least it’s this and not some evil entity trying to take over Gurhal...again.

_“Why did you call to ask me? I’m pretty sure I would have been commissioned to go anyway.”_

_“I didn’t want you to feel like you were obligated. I’m asking you as a personal favor.”_

_“If anything, asking out of a personal favor makes me feel more obligated. But either way I can’t say no when I know the results if we failed are catastrophic.”_

A couple days later, we did get called into a meeting about Clad 0. The mission would be a joint operation between the Guardians and Little Wing. The Guardians would go in first and do the initial sweep of Clad 0. Since they had more equipment to go through areas that had no previous data on it. But because of their size, they wouldn’t be able to put the ship offline without alerting the defense mechanism. Clad 0 wasn’t fully online yet, but if it got to that point then there would be nothing we could do.

This is where Little Wing comes in.

Since we are a smaller group, we could go in and dismantle the system without alerting it. It was during this mission we were assigned a partner. There was no way we could do the mission alone so we hoped that the two months the Guardians were taking to gather intel on Clad 0 we would be better acquainted with our partners in hopes we would be efficient.

My partner was Reo.

I was grateful to have him as a partner. At least it was someone I knew fairly well. We rarely hung out because we had different duties. But I saw him as a bit of a mentor.

Or older brother as I got to know him better.

We took the time before we were going to Clad 0 to catch up and train together. Even after not talking to each other for about four years, he hadn’t changed at all. He still wielded a sword as amazingly as the first time I saw it.

Despite his intimidating looks, he really has a kind demeanor.

It reminded me of Nagisa. Just that he was more expressive in his emotions.

Only marginally so.

There were times, however, he would look at me strangely. I guess it was a longing look. I wasn’t bothered by it, maybe a bit flustered. I wasn’t used to anyone looking at me like that.

Even as I did so much for Gurhal and the growing up I did, I was still weird around guys.

It was during one of our missions I began to feel different. We were in Mizuraki C.D. getting rid of leftover mutated creatures from the fragments. We had made good enough progress to take a break. I stopped to look at the scenery. Out of all the places in Neudaiz, Mizuraki was one of my favorite places to go to. The blossoms that fell made it look like it was snowing pink in the spring. I don’t know what happened next. There was an image of something and then an overflowing feeling of emotions.

Then black.

When I woke up, I was staring at Reo. I couldn’t remember when exactly I fell on the ground. I had been very careful to not strain myself after Crowley. It couldn’t have been photon poisoning, Mizuraki wasn’t known for having high photon counts. Ever since I had it, I’ve been careful of places that could trigger it.

_“Amimi, are you okay?”_

Sometime during our training, Reo had the habit of adding an extra “mi” to my name.

It didn’t bother me, since I never had a nickname before.

It’s a pretty cute one.

_“I’m fine. What happened?”_

_“You just suddenly passed out. You need to take it easy.”_

_“I have been, that’s the issue. I wonder...”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“No, it’s nothing.”_

It got worse at nights.

I guess I would call them nightmares. I had images about the dark. It seems weird explaining it. But I saw Gurhal covered in darkness. I would hear screaming being so consistent in the dreams, painful screams. Whenever I woke up, I would feel exhausted. The exhaustion would last for a short time before I feel better.

Something didn’t feel right with that.

A sign maybe?

But I had to put it all behind me. All too quickly, it was time for Little Wing to start their leg of the Clad 0 mission.

Oddly enough, the only time I didn’t get the dream was the night before we started. No, I slept a bit too peaceful that night. That morning, instead of exhaustion I was nervous. Pre-mission jitters were coming in fierce. So I put on a brave face.

Which may have come off a bit sarcastic.

_“You ready Reo?”_

_“Yep, how about you Amimi?”_

_“More than I’ll ever be. Let’s not delay too much longer mmkay?”_


	10. Part 1: Spiritual Intervention

Clad 0 is a desolate place. Even though there were others inside doing their own missions. The ship seemed too quiet. The entrance floor of Clad 0 looked just like the main hub of Clad 6. In the middle was the teleporter that would take us to the depths of Clad 0.

Emilia and Hyuga were waiting on that floor.

Their goal was to provide base support and do some real time calculations as our data came in.

_“Ami! Good to see you. Reo’s your partner?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Ah, that’s great. I have nothing to worry about then. Take care of her for me.”_

_“Of course Hyuga-nii.”_

_“What! Hey! I can take care of myself.”_

Maybe a bit too rash, I teleported down to start the mission. I was a bit flustered at their exchange. Almost like I was a piece of glass or something. I’ve been though so much and I didn’t need to be babied like that. I felt nearly insulted by it.

Nevermind the fact I almost died more times I could count, did actually die, got put into a coma, and almost destroyed my body in the process.

But still, I wasn’t the trainee who flinched at the mere thought of the Seed. I had grown up to be a dependable person. I had felt like they were seeing the younger me. I didn’t need protection anymore.

I was fuming at that so much, I took it out on the creatures below. I wondered how creatures managed to be on the ship, much less survive for so long in there. It was possible that the creatures were part of its defense system. It was odd that the inner levels looked like a Relics site.

_“Amimi wait!”_

_“What do you want?”_

_“We should stick together, the creatures here are more hostile than usual.”_

_“I know that. This isn’t the first time I’ve faced hostile creatures.”_

_“Are you mad?”_

_“You think? I’m not a trainee anymore.”_

_“I see that. He’s only like that because you’re special to him.”_

I stopped in my steps.

_“What?”_

_“He knows you’re different from when we were Guardians. You’ve changed in a good way.”_

_“...can we talk about it later? We need to focus on the mission.”_

_“Yes of course.”_

It got quiet between us. What Reo told me earlier still nagged my mind. Once we were done with these missions, I would need to talk to Hyuga for clarification. But for now, I needed a clear head to finish this mission. The creatures seemed to get more hostile as we got closer to our target area. It was like they knew of our intentions and was doing everything in their power to stop us.

We were only a couple floors from reaching it before I had felt something off.

It was something malicious. Frighteningly so, for me to feel it so clearly. Something was telling me to run back to the surface. I turned around to ask Reo about it. I was met with him crumpled on the ground.

_“Reo? Oh god, are you okay?”_

He didn’t respond to me.

_“Should I comm a medic team?”_

_“Get away.”_

Something was definitely wrong, he was speaking with no emotion. It was empty.

It wouldn’t be as good, but I had to at least assess his health. I turned him upwards. After a quick glance, I saw that he wasn’t physically injured. But his breathing was rapid, with his heartbeat matching the pace. I was blanking out on what the academy told me what to do in this situation.

What worried me the most was that his eyes appeared to be, no, they were actually glowing.

The last time that happened, Seed showed up not too long after.

This wasn’t good at all. I would at least try to secure a route, but I was down a partner in a floor full of hostile creatures. With Reo’s state, there was no way for us to complete the mission. It was simply too dangerous. So I tried to contact the base.

_“Satomora here. I need a medical team at our location.”_

I only got static feedback.

_“Hello? Anyone?”_

Still no change.

_“Hyuga! Emilia! Pick up someone! Dammit!”_

The feeling I had earlier only got worse.

_“I said leave Ami!”_

As frustrated as I was towards Reo earlier, I wasn’t going to leave him behind.

He’s my partner and friend.

_“I’m not leaving you alone, you stupid ass.”_

I felt a powerful force push me back to the ground. The feeling I had earlier was making its source known. It was coming from Reo. He staggered to his feet while dark photons were swirling around him.

Just like when Hyu-

No...no…

The dark photons became more potent, spreading to the entire area. Creatures that came into contact with it were killed on the spot. My lineshield did a good job of protecting me from being injured by the photons. But I could hear my communit cracking under the force of the photons. When I was able to look again, in Reo’s place was a dragon-type creature. It was like a De Ragan, but its wings were made of swords.

It was Reo.

Somewhere deep inside, I knew I was looking at my friend.

I felt so much darkness coming from him. It was almost unbearable. It was like when I was hit with a Megid attack from Howzer. Even taking a breath felt like too much. The potent dark photons was suffocating every part of my being. I knelt to the ground already feeling weakened by the force. It was painful feeling the full force so close to me.

_‘Don’t be afraid.’_

I didn’t know the voice. But as soon as I heard it, the weakness went away. I could tolerate it. The dragon looked angry that I heard the voice as well.

_“So that’s where you’ve been hiding. It’s time to erase your existence completely. Just as your father banished you from your physical form, I will erase your spiritual form. I will not allow the likes of you to impede on the profound darkness complete dominion over this system. The Seed will rise again once You are dealt with.”_

I winced at the sound of the voice. It was so loud in my head. It sounded so much like Reo, but deeper and no emotion at all. I didn’t understand what he was talking about. Profound darkness? Dark Falz spoke of the same thing. I felt like I knew, but I didn’t. It was confusing and making my head a mess. I just knew I had to stop him.

But I was alone with no contact to the surface.

My friend had turned into a creature, one I might have to kil-

No, I couldn’t do that. I didn’t kill Hyuga when he turned into a Seed-form.

I wouldn’t do it now.

My body tensed at the situation before me. My heart was pounding in my chest. The only thing faster was my breathing. My mind was starting to blank out. I remember the feeling well, a panic attack was coming in. This one was going to be pretty strong. Everything just stacked into me not coming out of this alive, I felt like I was going to pass out.

_‘Don’t be afraid, the Light is always protecting you.’_

Those words seemingly released me from my panic attack. Something was telling me I had to fight. Even if my body was not up for it. I was the last line of defense between this being and Gurhal. If I didn’t, then Clad 0 exploding would be the least of our problems.

Gurhal, covered in darkness.

_“I’m sorry Reo, I can’t let you do this. I can’t sit by and let you try to kill me, prepare yourself.”_

I took out Dagger of Serafi, a twin dagger I had gotten a while back. I felt destined to have them. I looked at the dragon before me. It was huge, but I had the agility advantage. He started to attack and I would dodge the best I could. I was thankful that years of using Twin Daggers had made me as fast as I was. He seemed more inclined to use ranged attacks, so I had enough time to dodge. Those rare moments I couldn’t, I would deflect with my blades.

He was not appreciating that this Human girl was not going down.

He seemed to get angrier the more time went on.

The attacks came out faster and stronger. If I could just wait for the moment he got too sloppy I could strike. The simple facts were that I was still only human. I could only do so much before my stamina ran out. Once that happened, I would be a sitting duck, waiting for death.

In that moment of thinking I saw an attack head straight for me.

There was no chance of me deflecting or moving out of the way in time.

The only thing I could was wait for the impact.

_‘You are not alone.’_

I felt nothing. When I looked around, the attack was just a couple feet away from me. Everything had frozen, like time itself stopped. I felt a warm presence behind me. I turned, only to see a woman with her back towards me. The feeling felt familiar.

_“I’m sorry, I should have stopped this sooner.”_

Who was this woman?

_“If I still had a physical presence, then he would have never become like this. Fate can be cruel.”_

_“Wait!”_

_“Lets save him together.”_

The moment I touched the woman’s hand there was a flash of light. I felt power, her power course through me. It felt so familiar. Then she turned to face me. I didn’t hide the look on my face as I saw who it was. She was older. But this was definitely Mirei Mikuna I was looking at. This should have been impossible. She was dead, killed by her father in an accident. How did she get here? Why am I able to see her?

She seemed to know the cause of confusion on my face.

_“We met on Rykros. Dark Falz felt your emotions, your doubts. It wanted to consume it all, including your body. If I hadn’t, Dark Falz would have succeeded. I took refuge in your body to protect you, I couldn’t allow you to suffer that fate.”_

_“Those voices back then. It was you?”_

_“Yes, forgive me. I didn’t mean to stay as long as I have. I looked into your memories the moment we joined. I noticed the signs. It would only be a matter of time before we were faced this. I had to do something, it was partly my fault he’s this way. So I stayed inside, preparing for this day.”_

_“I think I understand.”_

_“Don’t worry, we will not kill him. I promise no more sacrifices.”_

I blinked, noticed that I was looking at myself. But it wasn’t “me”. It was my body, but it was morphed to a form more suitable for Mirei’s needs. The ears were elongated, like a newmans. My face had a more graceful look to it, my body more lithe. Everything just felt more graceful and lady-like; the opposite of what I was.

Even the Dagger of Serafi I had somehow disappeared and in its place was a Halarod.

She performed a Grants technic to separate us. He noticed that I wasn’t in charge too. It made him even angrier, if it was possible at this point. He began attacking again, but at a greater force and speed. I could feel the killing intent behind the attacks. She avoided the attacks like a dance. Every now and then she would use a technic to gain space. Mirei’s a skilled technic user, I’ve come to realize. A force to be reckoned with if she was still alive.

They were talking as they fought.

I couldn’t make it out, my hearing was muddled.

Then I felt a sharp pain in my head.

My body had gotten hit and fell to the ground. Before I could try to reach it, I felt something grab my wrists. I was pinned to the wall like I was being offered. I tried to struggle out but the bindings held. I heard his laughing booming in my head.

_“Oh how the one ‘Touched by the Light’ is nothing more than a weakling in the face of darkness. You would do nicely as a follower.”_

_“Leave her out of this!”_

_“She became involved the moment you took host in her, Maiden.”_

I felt the darkness crawl up my body. How it attempted to take me whole. I was fading and fast. What would happen to me if I was killed? Would Mirei just take permanent host in my body? Fear gripped me as the realization I could die was real.

Dammit, I was going to die again.

_“Reo is my number one fan! I can’t lose him now!”_

I suddenly felt freed from the dragon’s clutches. A newman female, about Emilia’s age came through and punched the dragon on the nose with a pair of Knuckles. The force was so strong the blade horn broke off.

Whoever she was, I needed to thank her later when we survived.

Mirei and the female were fighting him as a team. They were tiring him out while getting some good hits in. I could see that the end was in sight. We should be happy that it was finally ending.

Not this time.

He knew it too. He felt how pointless it was to keep fighting. So he figured to take all of us with him. He stilled while massive amounts of energy collected in his body. Way too much for one being to hold all together. We couldn’t even warn the girl before she was hit with one of the offshoots of energy. Thankfully, it grazed her but the force hit her hard against the wall.

If the force of the energy did that much damage…

_“We gotta do something now! Clad 0 will explode right here if that attack goes off!”_

_‘I know. Ami, I’m so sorry for putting you through all of this.’_

She ran into the beam. I was expecting to die right then and there. I think her power as a Divine Maiden was protecting us. She moved through the beam like swimming through water. She was close to the dragon.

Intimately close if you were to ask me.

_“I won’t let you die, my dearest. I will do whatever in my power to save you again. I swear it.”_

Again?

Then she kissed him on his nose.

No, she kissed Reo.

Oh, goddammit.

It was sweet, something that two lovers would give each other. I felt the love the two shared in my body. In that moment, I was bombarded with Mirei’s memories. Since she looked into mines, it was only a matter of time before I would experience the same. I sensed how happy she was being a Divine Maiden. How she wanted to have a bond with Karen.

How she wished she could have been with Reo like a normal girl.

She didn’t regret her death, but she wished she was alive with everyone now.

Mirei didn’t separate from Reo until he was back in his human form. I was glad that he was going to live. Though I couldn’t help to feel a little uneasy about how it was done.

No matter how much I try to logic it, my first kiss was with my friend.

And it wasn’t even by my own volition.

_‘I’m truly sorry.’_

I was glad that Mirei was more understanding of my discomfort.

_“It’s fine, it was done to save him. Will he ever turn back to that dragon?”_

_‘I don’t think so. But I’ll be watching him closely now.’_

_“This is goodbye then.”_

_‘Unfortunately, yes. Thank you for allowing me to perform this one last duty.’_

_“I should thank you for all those times you saved me from Dark Falz.”_

I should have accepted this, she deserved to move on and I did. But it didn’t stop the tears from falling. I was losing a part of myself that helped me survive against the darkness in my own heart. How was I going to face it if it happened again?

I felt her arms around me.

She was the Divine Maiden, in every since of the title. Mirei lived in that title.

It felt like all of the Holy Light was inside of me.

_‘Thank you Ami. For everything. You’re a strong woman, you’ve always have been.’_

I blinked again and noticed I was back at the Clad 0 area. All around me was proof of the previous fight. Everything felt sore, but we were all alive.

_“Ami! Ami!”_

Hyuga was making his way towards the scene with some medical personnel.

As soon as he was in my range, my body just shut down. I fell straight into his arms. Everything just hurt all over. It was hard to focus on anything.

_“...mi? Are you…?...up, Ami! Please...”_

I wanted to tell him I was okay but I too tired to even speak. I kept blacking in and out during the whole thing. I do remember being on something warm, like being carried.

It felt so warm.

The call to sleep was just so tempting.

I think it’ll be alright if I slept for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the absence, the semester is ending in a couple weeks and I needed to focus on my finals. But I'm back and ready to finish this story.


	11. Part 2: Spiritual Guidance

When I finally woke up, I realized I was in the medical wing of Clad 6. Everything hurt, both physically and mentally. It was a struggle even to think. I became more aware of what happened just before I blacked out and felt all over my face. Everything felt the same.

I was glad the change wasn’t permanent. I don’t think I could accept that.

The medical room I was in was a private one. Other than that, it was a standard medical room. Though I did notice some Parunian Lilies on my bedside.

_“Ami?”_

_“Emilia?”_

_“Oh thank goodness you’re finally awake. We thought the worst happened down there.”_

_“How long was I out for?”_

_“Nearly a day. We hadn’t heard from you or Reo for hours. Then there was this surge of photons that interfered with our communications. Then a girl named Khaled was able to comm us your location with a request for a medical team. We didn’t even question how she got down there without proper clearance. I stayed on topside to make sure there weren’t any other photon surges so Hyuga went down. Next thing I know he was carrying an unconscious you to the main hub. It took quite a bit of talking from the medical crew to let them take you. You sure there’s nothing between you two other than friendship?”_

I opened my mouth to answer, but then stopped.

_“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re friends.”_

_“If you say so. What happened down there? You’re one of the best we have.”_

I was close to telling Emilia everything. But I felt it wasn’t my place.

_“We faced a hostile dragon-type creature. Reo took a critical hit meant for me.”_

_“I see, so that’s why he’s in ICU.”_

_“He’s in ICU?”_

_“Yeah. He was seriously injured when they found him. But someone treated him enough that it wasn’t mortal. So the doctors say he’ll pull through.”_

_“I’ll need to see him once he’s permitted visitors. It’s my fault he got into that situation.”_

_“You’ll go after you get discharged.”_

_“Fair enough.”_

I clearly didn’t get enough rest, despite being out for an entire day. It was hard to keep my eyes open. The conversation took more out of me than I expected. Emilia could see that.

_“Go back to sleep. The doctors did say that you might be tired when you wake up. You pushed yourself beyond your body’s threshold.”_

_“Oh...sorry.”_

_“You won’t be any good to anyone if you make it a habit. You’re lucky this was what happened.”_

_“I won’t. I learned my lesson.”_

_“Good.”_

_“Emilia, before you go I have a question.”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“These flowers, who are they from?”_

I swore I saw Emilia smirk when I asked.

_“I cannot say. But they said you’d understand.”_

I was too tired to even argue an answer out of her. So I just nodded my head and went back to sleep. It was early evening when I woke up again. I felt more of my usual self. Emilia came back to check up on me. It seemed I was good enough to be discharged so she helped me get cleared to go back to my room. Even though I was technically medically cleared to participate in the Clad 0 mission again, I opted not to. Since my partner was still in the hospital for the time being, it just wasn’t safe for me to go down there by myself. What happened down there was too fresh of a memory for me to even think about going down there as well. I was grateful that no one in Little Wing pushed for me to go back either.

The time I would have spent on the mission I was doing school work instead.

I was only left alone for two days before Emilia came into my room. To my dismay she just comes into my room whenever, even using the master code. I was just finishing up some paperwork I had been neglecting since I was preparing for the Clad 0 operation.

_“Ami, what are you doing here?”_

_“Um, this is my room. I live here.”_

_“That’s not what I mean! What are you doing holed up in here?”_

_“Finishing up paperwork. It won’t finish itself.”_

_“You’re taking a break.”_

_“Why are you even here anyway? Don’t you have to help oversee the Clad 0 mission?”_

_“Not today.”_

Without elaborating, Emilia persisted in trying to get me out of my room. Usually she won’t quit until I relented. So I did. We went to a separate floor and notice that Chelsea finally opened up her cafe. She had been working on getting everything prepared for it, so I was glad to see her hard work was finally paying off.

I’m not going to admit this to Emilia, but I was happy she got me to go out. After everything that happened, it was hard to keep a neutral mentality about what I saw.

It was then I realized Emilia’s true intention of bringing me out.

_“Oh Ami~ how are you? You were just recently released from the hospital yes?”_

_“Yeah, I just exhausted myself down there. But I’m fine now. Your cafe looks really good.”_

_“Ah thank you! It was very very hard work!”_

_“It’s good to see that you’re out of the hospital now Ami.”_

Over at the counter was Hyuga. I looked around to see that Emilia was already gone. I let out a sigh. I knew a set up when I saw it.

I knew Emilia had my intentions in mind.

_“I swear I’ll kill her.”_

_“What?”_

_“It’s nothing. Anyway, what brings you here? I thought you would be overseeing Clad 0?”_

_“Not today, the researchers need today to do more calculations on the most recent data. I thought Emilia went to tell you that.”_

_“She didn’t quite word it that way. She just told me that she was off.”_

_‘I see. Anyway come sit with me. It’s been a long time since we were able to talk like this.”_

_“Alright.”_

Even after all this time, I still get a bit nervous to be around Hyuga in this way. I guess that’s a part of me that can’t really change. When I glanced over, I saw that Chelsea seemed happy. I guess within Little Wing I really wasn’t that social. Only to my partners. It just made me a little more nervous about how I was around people. Anyway, the talk between Hyuga and I were just normal. He seemed curious about what I was doing between leaving the Guardians and being with Little Wing. I wasn’t sure if he was mad that I didn’t contact him during those times.

Well, to be fair, I didn’t talk to anyone then.

I almost told him how Emilia and I became close thanks to Mika.

But I didn’t, Emilia can tell him if she wanted to.

_“You’ve done so much already. I feel bad that we didn’t do more.”_

_“Don’t. If you didn’t do what you did for Rykros then there wouldn’t be a Little Wing.”_

_“But even then, I need to thank you.”_

_“For what?”_

_“For helping me when I had succumbed to the Seed-Virus.”_

_“Didn’t you already?”_

_“I did, but I do it again knowing the full scope of what you did. Lumia and I talked a bit after the mission on Parum. She told me how hard you worked to get me back.”_

_“It’s nothing really. I do care, even if I don’t show it well.”_

_“I know. And I can finally thank you for the flowers.”_

_“You knew it was me?”_

_“She also told me those lilies were from you. I was surprised when I finally woke up and saw them. I’m so used to sending flowers so getting them was a first.”_

He laughed at that. It wasn’t a flirtatious laugh, but a genuine laugh. It put a smile on my face to hear him laugh like that.

_“Did you see the flowers in the medical room?”_

_“Those were from you?”_

_“I was only able to stay for a few minutes but I bought some lilies. I told Emilia, since one of us had to go back to the hub. Emilia is your partner so I opted to go back instead. I told her you’d understand that I didn’t stay longer.”_

_“She didn’t say it in that way.”_

_Hmm?”_

_“Nevermind, thank you for those.”_

Our conversation was cut short with Chelsea chatting excitedly on her communit. She had this huge smile on her face.

_“Oh! This is very good news~!”_

_“What is it?”_

_“I’ve received a message saying Reo is out of ICU. Good news indeed!”_

_“Ah thank the Holy Light.”_

_“I need to go see him.”_

_“Ami?”_

_“He’s my partner, I need to check up on him.”_

_“...alright then.”_

I didn’t go into detail of why I needed to see him. But I had to do it now or I would forget. It was more because I needed to confirm what happened on Clad 0, really happened.

But did I sense a hint of disappointment from Hyuga?

I must have been imagining it.

I went to the medical wing of Clad 6. I flashed my license and got directions to Reo’s room. I wasn’t nervous. I suppose my curiosity was winning out. I really should have knocked first though. He was in a private room, which was good.

It would make talking about that mission easier.

But I blushed the moment I came in.

Reo had his hair down.

He actually looked adorable.

_“Oh Amimi, hello.”_

_“Hey. It’s good to see that you’re okay now. With everything that happened. Just to be sure, it did happen right?”_

_“Unfortunately. Listen Ami I’m so-”_

_“Don’t even. That wasn’t you.”_

_“I had hoped that no one in Gurhal would see that. Especially my friends.”_

_“It wasn’t you Reo. I’m a tough girl, I haven’t stayed dead yet. I don’t think I can fully understand what happened down there, but I do know one thing. That dragon wasn’t my friend. You wouldn’t hurt me intentionally.”_

_“Thanks Ami.”_

From there, Reo and I talked a long while. Mainly of how Mirei ended up with me. I ended up telling him my issues with Dark Falz and my own insecurities. I was getting better about leaning on others for my personal issues. But I still had a long way to go. He told me he was being discharged today so I opted to help him out.

I think this event made us closer friends.

_“Let me at least pin your hair. It’s weird seeing it down.”_

_“O-okay.”_

...His hair is really soft. Seriously.

I don’t know why I had the urge to do it. I had a brief image that this was done before. A residual of Mirei’s memories perhaps? I think he needed a small comfort for almost killing me and rampaging on Gurhal. I didn’t need any extrasensory abilities to know that he felt guilty about what happened. I don’t blame him for what happened. But in a sense, I understood what he was going through.

It was a small gesture, but if it eased him for a moment I don’t mind.

I realized then that I cared for him a lot more than I let on.

I wonder if this is what having an older brother was like?

I helped him to his room. He room had more of a Neudaiz feel to it. It reminded me of my room when I was in the Guardians to be honest. The stark difference was that he had a lot of Rappy-related items.

You know, him being surrounded by Rappies didn’t sound too far fetched.

I noticed the photo of Mirei on his bedside. It was the same photo I keep in my room. I didn’t need to host her spirit to know that he loved her very much. Probably still loves her. It’s hard, to not be able to be with the one you loved anymore.

I wonder if the two would be able to be a couple if she was alive right now?

_“I’m probably the last person to say this, but she wouldn’t be mad at you if you found someone.”_

_“Well, that came out of nowhere.”_

_“Maybe a small part of Mirei still left wanted me to pass this along. But just hear me out. I know it’s tough and you can’t truly replace her. But I think she’d be happy if you moved on and found someone who made you happy now. Someone once told me that while living for the memory of the dead is nice, living for the present with us now is an even stronger feeling. I lived for my mom for a long while after she died, but I realized that I can’t change the fact that she died. I can only move forward and embrace the present.”_

_“Ami?”_

_“It’s ultimately up to you, but just keep it in mind. No matter what I’ll still be your friend. Unless you do something illegal or harmful, then I have to beat you up.”_

_“And we wouldn’t want that.”_

_“Of course you don’t. Anyway I should get going, I have stuff to catch up on.”_

It was my full intention to leave but I stopped at the door. I couldn’t leave without clearing the air about one thing.

_“By the way. That kiss, stays between us. I’ll kill you if you tell anyone.”_

Reo smiled, or was that a smirk?

_“My lips are sealed. Though, I’m sure that kind of passion could be saved for someone you actually loved.”_

I felt the heat rise up to my cheeks. I grabbed the nearest thing and threw it at his head. Which happened to be a Rappy doll. It even made the ‘squee’ sound as it hit harmlessly on his head.

_“That wasn’t even me!”_

I was embarrassed but I couldn’t help but smile at him. I left his room and made the trek back to mines. It wasn’t that far, just the end of the hallway. I should probably send Hyuga a note for leaving so early. And give a talking to Emilia. It was obvious that she was trying to set me up on a date and be discreet about it. Thinking about it, I haven’t spoke to Nagisa since before the Clad 0 mission. She’s normally in the cafe so I should pop in and see how she’s doing and give her an update on what’s been going on with me. I made my way to the main lobby before I saw Reo running out ahead of me.

I don’t know how he’s so fast after being just released from the hospital.

I wanted to call out to him, to see what was the urgency. But he was already gone. Probably another mission. He did heal up pretty quickly and enough to be put on active duty again. Maybe an effect of being able to transform into a dragon?

I was stopped by Emilia on my way to the cafe however.

_“So?”_

_“So…?”_

_“Your little break.”_

_“Emilia, please. I know you were doing it to make me feel better but my feelings are complicated.”_

_“What’s so complicated about it? You do love him right?”_

_“Of course I do?”_

_“Enough to spend the rest of your life with right?”_

I paused at the question.

Did I really?

_“That’s…too soon to say. But I do know I like being around him. Even if he’ll only see me as a friend and comrade. I just want to be near him, always.”_

_“It’s okay to put your wants first you know. You’ve done a lot, so be a little selfish.”_

_“It’s okay for right now.”_

_“If you say so.”_

_“Anyway, is Nagisa still in the cafe? I meant to tell her I was out of the hospital.”_

_“She should be.”_

_“Oh okay. Emilia?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“Thanks for looking out for me.”_

_“It’s the least I can do.”_

I made my way towards the cafe. I saw Nagisa at her usual spot. I was about to call out to her before I noticed she was speaking with someone. When I looked closer, I noticed that the other person was Reo. I wondered why he was talking with her. More importantly, how the two knew each other. I knew that ever since Nagisa became an official member of Little Wing the two went on missions. I figured they were just partnered up again.

_“So if you’re not busy, we can go out to dinner or something?”_

I smiled at the interaction between Reo and Nagisa. Seeing her surprised at his question and eventually nodding. I wouldn’t have figured that Reo had feelings for Nagisa. I slipped out of the cafe as quietly as I could. If they saw me, I would have made the situation awkward no doubt.

My destination was to Parum.

After a quick visit to Dad, I hung around the shopping district of Holtes City. I was happy that everything turned out well, all things considered. But I had begun to think about myself and Emilia’s words. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time for me to think about myself more.

_“To see you twice in the same day, it must be my lucky day.”_

_“Oh, hello Hyuga. I’m sorry about earlier.”_

_“It’s not a problem. I know you two are close friends.”_

_“Yeah. You’re going home for today?”_

_“I was but since you’re here, I can hold off on that.”_

_“No need to change your plans because of me.”_

_“You’re worth changing plans though.”_

I blushed at his statement.

With a quick walk to a little cafe, we pretty much started where we left off at Chelsea’s cafe. The more time we spent, the more I thought about what I told Reo and what he told me during our mission. Maybe I should follow my own advice for once.

But this wasn’t the same situation like with Reo.

There were so many what ifs. There’s a history between the two of us that spans across our parents.

Could I even handle a rejection if it came to it?

_“Ami? Ami what’s wrong?”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“You look sad all of a sudden.”_

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn’t realize I was even looking that way.

_“It’s nothing. I’m just overthinking, as usual.”_

_“We’re friends right? Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”_

_“It really is nothing.”_

_“You’ve been so distant since we met again. Am I annoying you?”_

_“No! Not at all.”_

_“Is it because I’m a Duman now?”_

I was silent at his question. How could he assume that?

_“No, never.”_

_“I’ll understand if i-”_

_“Don’t. It’s not that at all. I don’t care what you are now. I didn’t care then when you transformed into a Seed-form. I lo-”_

I stopped myself before I finished that statement. I wasn’t ready to reveal that yet, if ever. He looked at me expectantly, like he wanted me to continue on. I shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts.

_“I care about you a lot. You’re one of my dearest friends. No amount of mutation or racial changes will make me feel differently.”_

_“Thank you for that.”_

_“I should hit you for thinking that. You actually think that my opinion of you would change because you’re a Duman now? You’re still the same bragging womanizer I remember from when I was starting out. Even if you’ve toned it down a bit.”_

_“You wound me.”_

We fell into silence all too quickly. I was still feeling a little embarrassed about my near confession. That and thinking about the past few days. It had been strange, even for me.

_“Are you sure you’re okay?”_

_“Huh? Oh, yeah I am.”_

_“You’re a terrible liar, you know.”_

_“I’m not lying, exactly. It’s just, the past couple days I’ve had a lot to take in.”_

_“Do you want to talk about it?”_

_“It’s not my place.”_

I had hoped that the answer would satisfy him.

He sighed instead.

_“Why do you think you gotta do everything alone? What point are you trying to prove by doing everything alone? You pushed your body too much out there. It was the same thing on Crowley and Rykros. When you just fainted in Clad 0 I thought the worst. I know it hasn’t been easy for you. Can’t you rely on us more? Can’t you rely on me more?”_

I was speechless. I couldn’t even answer his question. I had no idea that my actions were affecting him this much. I looked down at my hands. I had thought I was doing better by my friends. It seemed the opposite. I could feel myself tear up.

_“I’m sorry Hyuga. I never knew. It wasn’t my intention to push myself so hard. I was just being stupid and inconsiderate of you-”_

_“It’s alright. I know you don’t do it out of spite. I may have overreacted, but my point still stands.”_

_“It’s fine. I know you worry because you have my best interests.”_

_“You’re probably still feeling a bit off, so I’ll leave you in peace.”_

I didn’t want him to leave. Not yet. Reo’s words from the start of our mission were in the forefront of my brain.

_“Ami?”_

I didn’t realized I had reached out to him to not go.

His hand felt so warm. Maybe being a Duman raised his body temperature a bit. I bit my lip as nerves wracked me. I took a deep breath.

_“Let me make up for my actions. Remember when I was a rookie and you asked me to Commune?”_

_“You’re collecting on that now?”_

_“It’s the least I can do. But lets not go to Commune, I’ve been there a lot. Just somewhere new for the both of us.”_

_“Hmm, I don’t know. It’s tempting. If Shion found out-”_

_“Dad doesn’t have to know. Besides if I recall correctly, you said that getting dates have been harder since you’re a Duman. Now that a girl is asking you out for a change, you’re having second thoughts?”_

_“Ami, you’ve changed.”_

_“Not really. But I guess the past few weeks and what not have told me that I need to go for more. It’s alright for me to be a little selfish.”_

There was a silence between us. My heart was pounding so much. I’ve never asked a guy out, much less be this forward. But he smiled at me.

_“You have yourself a date then Ami. I’ll call you once I have something in mind.”_


	12. Forever and Ever, I'm Yours

It was two months after the Clad 0 mission, everything seemed to go back to normal. We were able to deactivate the systems and secured so that it couldn’t be activated again. Since my school hasn’t opened back up yet, I was more active in Little Wing. Most of the time it was alone, but there were times I had Nagisa or Emilia accompanying me.

I was just coming back from a mission when I noticed my visiphone was ringing.

I still wondered who would call me on my terminal, since I always have my communit on.

_“Ami?”_

_“Oh, hey Hyuga. You always seem to contact me using my terminal when I know you have my partner card.”_

_“Well, I know you’ll always pick up on your terminal.”_

_“What? Hey! I don’t skip out on your calls.”_

_“Ha ha, don’t get offended. It’s just a precaution.”_

_“If you say so. Any who, why did you call me?”_

_“Have you checked out the news on the Communion recently?”_

_“Who hasn’t?”_

As it turned out, the Communion had found another person to take on the title of Divine Maiden. After the speech Karen gave after Rykros was sealed about how Gurhal is coming to a point that we didn’t need to heavily lean on a Divine Maiden anymore, one showing up now was odd. But it seemed that Karen herself approved the appointment.

_“It’s been confirmed that her first public appearance will be at this year’s Holy Light Festa.”_

_“The perfect PR situation. Introduce the essential mascot of the Communion on the holiday that celebrates the Holy Light. Perfect timing.”_

_“And as you know, I’m a follower of the Communion. That and my status as a president of GRM have given me some perks. I got an invitation to view her divination in a closer viewing area.”_

_“That’s good to hear. Why tell me?”_

_“Well the invite was for me plus one guest. You should be free for that right?”_

_“Oh! Well sure, I’m free.”_

_“This weekend okay?”_

_“That’s fine. We can just meet up at the PPT Shuttle in Ohtoku.”_

_“Aright, see you then Ami.”_

As I disconnected the link, I noticed a certain researcher was looking at me with a glint in her eyes. For a long moment neither of us said anything. I could already see the gears turning in her head.

_“Emilia, don’t.”_

_“A development in your life and you didn’t tell me?”_

_“It’s not a big deal. Please don’t.”_

_“I’m helping whether you like it or not.”_

_“I really don’t need it.”_

_“Tell me Ami, when was the last time you’ve been on an actual date?”_

_“Um...Never?”_

_“Exactly! I’m sure Ursula wouldn’t mind putting something together.”_

_“Emilia! No, I’m fine with the clothes I have.”_

But there was no stopping her once she had an idea in her head. I just hoped that she didn’t go overboard. But she probably would. Over the next two days, it had gotten out that I was going out on a date. I think only those close to me knew who it was. But apparently me being out when it wasn’t school or a mission was rare.

Was I really to myself that much?

Apparently so.

I honestly thought I wasn’t like that anymore when I got to Little Wing.

_“What’s this I hear about a date?”_

_“It’s not what you think Maya.”_

_“You’re spending time with him alone.”_

_“It’s the Festa, there’s going to be people all over Gurhal there.”_

_“Oh, the Holy Light Festa. Isn’t Neudaiz your favorite planet to travel to?”_

_“Yes, why does that matter?”_

_“Hmm so Hyuga’s taking you to your favorite place.”_

_“Maya! It isn’t like that at all. It’s just coincidence. I’m just collecting on an offer he made to me when I was just starting out in the Guardians. Nothing more.”_

_“It’s an awful lot of thought and effort into an obligation. Just saying.”_

Was that really a lot?

I mean I do love Neudaiz and it was the two of us.

When I was a kid, I did like going the Holy Light Festas with Mom.

And I did believe in some of the teachings of the Communion.

I shook my head at the thoughts. I couldn’t think like that now. There was no reason for me to actually hope for something more to happen. I made my peace that all I was going to get out of Hyuga was best friend status. I didn’t need Emilia’s or Maya’s thinking to raise my expectations.

_“It’s really nothing more Maya. Hyuga has always been considerate of others. I’m no different.”_

_“Alright then. If you keep thinking that way chances are going to slip on by and you won’t even notice.”_

_“I’ll keep it in mind.”_

_“I should be getting back to work. Laia is still the same about work ethic.”_

_“Yeah I understand. Give her and Lumia my regards.”_

_“Of course. And one more suggestion Ami. Wear your hair down. Hyuga really likes your hair down.”_

_“Maya please! Cut that out!”_

The day soon approached and I took Maya’s advice. It was a nice day to have it loose. I didn’t want to try and impress anyone.

Much to Emilia’s dismay.

_“Emilia! What is up with this outfit?”_

_“It’s not bad, Ursula put her heart into it.”_

_“What did you tell her!”_

_“That you were going out on a date with a guy you really liked.”_

_“Oh my god Emilia. That’s true but not like this. He and I are good friends. I can’t run around a Festa and a divination wearing this.”_

_“Come on, let me see.”_

The outfit itself wasn’t that bad. It was a white short sleeved top and blue plaid skirt with dark brown boots. The shirt was extremely form fitting and a belt was the only thing keeping it from being completely open. Just imagining myself in it with my body type made me cringe. And the skirt was way too short than I was comfortable with. I think the design is part of the Pop Series going about in Gurhal.

_“There’s nothing wrong with it.”_

_“I know. But I’m not wearing it. I’m not going to present myself like this. The replica Ursula gave me is good enough.”_

_“Aww you’re no fun Ami.”_

_“Maybe some other time, but not with Hyuga okay?”_

After some adjustments, I was ready to go. Even though Emilia couldn’t help me in the clothing department, she was attempting to give me tips all the way to the shuttle. With how she worded it, it was like a list of all my flaws or something.

_“Just go for it. Don’t just be all sarcastic in the middle or anything like that.”_

_“Oh geeze, I thought my wit was my good point?”_

_“See, right there.”_

_“I know. Emilia calm down. I’m telling you, there’s nothing romantic about this at all. Hyuga knows me and I know him. There’s no reason for me to do extra.”_

I appreciated everyone’s support in this. I really did. But I only needed to follow one piece of advice. It was bittersweet to remember it.

Professor Tomrain had told me to be myself more. To not hold back my personality for the sake of my duty.

It was odd, since Mirei said something similar when we separated.

Anyway, I arrived in Ohtoku on Neudaiz. It was less people than I imagined, but I suppose more would come when it got closer to the time of the divination. As far as I knew, there were no words of an assassination attempt on the maiden. I was glad for that actually. It made things less stressful. As much as I don’t admit it, I’m still a Guardian at heart and want to help them in any way I can. I found Hyuga sitting at a bench that was within the front entrance to the temple when I arrived.

It amazed me that he could be out in public like he is and have virtually no press following him.

I had to admit, I was getting nervous. But not as bad as when I was younger.

_“Ah Ami, you made it. I was worried you might have been delayed or had second thoughts.”_

_“Nope. I collect on my offers you know.”_

_“That I should. And you wouldn’t intentionally stand people up. That’s why so many trust you.”_

_“You think?”_

_“It’s true. But lets not think too much about our jobs. We’re supposed to be getting away from all that right?”_

_“Right. How long until the divination?”_

_“Hmm, we have a couple hours.”_

The time leading up to the divination, Hyuga and I spent just going to different vendors. It was odd to be out in public like this. We always seem to hang out at a cafe or out in the field during a mission. So this was a new experience for me. I was seeing Hyuga in a different way from what I’m using to seeing from a Guardian or a client. I could tell he really did appreciate the cultures that Gurhal had to offer. And he was knowledgeable. He didn’t seem to mind my wide-eyed wonder at what I was seeing at the Festa.

As a child I always thought that things regarding Neudaiz was pretty. But now I think I can appreciate it.

Mostly because I’m older and there’s actual peace in Gurhal.

I was so enthralled by the Festa event, I didn’t realize a hand was intertwined with mines until it was already done. Me being me, I let out a yelp.

_“It’s just me Ami.”_

_“Why are you holding my hand Hyuga?”_

_“The closer we get to the divination time, the more crowded it becomes around here. I wouldn’t want to lose you.”_

_“But, we’re both adults and we have our communits. I doubt we’ll get lost.”_

That didn’t loosen his hand from mines.

Not that I minded.

Once it was obvious that he wasn’t letting go, the blush crept in. I never held hands with anyone other than family before. I might have did a quick hold to show my support or give some encouragement but never like this. I enjoyed it when I finally got over the awkwardness. His hand was a comfortable kind of warm.

It was nearly time for the divination to start so we went to the Pavilion of Air. I couldn’t think of a more fitting place to have the divination take place. I had been to the venue a few times on missions as a Guardian so it was a rarity to have the public have access to it. The crowds who came to see the new maiden was massive. The last time I’ve seen such a huge turn out was during the centennial celebration of the treaty alliance.

Back when the Seed first appeared.

Our seats were near the front, in a ticketed section. I felt a little common, maybe a bit nervous. There were so many high ranking officials along the same area. Many I recognize as various members of the Communion. I wondered if I was under dressed for such an occasion.

_“Don’t worry too much.”_

_“Hyuga?”_

_“You’re fine.”_

Was I really that easy to read?

The crowd quieted down as it became time to start. I was excited, just a little. I suppose my curiosity to know who was the new maiden was winning. I wondered who it was. From what I read, heard from Karen, and the little snippets of Mirei’s memories I retained being a maiden is taxing. You had to have a strong mental and technic threshold to be able to channel so much photons. Especially to the point to receive visions.

Then she appeared.

She was a Newman, something I shouldn’t have been surprised about. But she was so young, maybe a little younger than Emilia. But the way she walked and looked towards the crowd felt so mature. She reminded me of Mirei in looks. Her hair was long and a purple-blue color with her eyes being a dark blue. At the corner of her right eye I could see a beauty mark.

The placement of it felt vaguely familiar.

She must have been training in secret for a while. It felt like she was meant for the role of Divine Maiden. It sounds a little embarrassing to admire a kid. But there was something about her that resonated with me. Like I felt a sort of connection.

Then she looked at me.

The feeling seemed to intensify. Like something deep down was calling to her. It’s hard to explain the feeling fully.

It was like I should know her and who she was.

When she finally spoke, it only seemed to prove how mature she really was. She had spoke about how Karen was right in saying that Gurhal’s constant need of a Divine Maiden was truly over. But she took on the role, not to prove her wrong. Instead, she took the role because she felt that the Communion wasn’t as united without one. She stressed that Karen had her full support in taking the role and promised she would do the best she could. Soon after she performed the divination.

I was amazed at seeing it be done. This was the first I was seeing it live.

It looked pretty, that was for sure. I felt a strong force of photons gathering around her. With my apparent sensitivity to photons, I felt a little queasy. I think I was better at handling it since my photon poisoning, but only marginally so.

_“Are you okay Ami?”_

I guess it showed on my face.

_“I’m alright, just a little uncomfortable.”_

_“Come on, we’ll get some fresh air then.”_

It was nice of Hyuga to walk me out of venue. Just outside of the pavilion was a grand hall. It reminded me of when Ethan, Lumia, and myself were in a similar hall when trying to gather support from the Communion.

_“Feeling better now?”_

_“Yeah, thanks. I feel bad about leaving during the middle of it. I honestly thought I could handle it.”_

_“Don’t worry about it. I had forgotten you don’t do well with higher amount of photons.”_

_“Being part Newman sucks.”_

I was glad that Hyuga got a laugh out of it.

I looked over the grand hall before the two of us. I reminded me so much of my mission on Neudaiz back then. Even though I rather forget the bad parts of it. In a way, I was glad it happened, it helped sort out my feelings.

_“Ah, I thought I saw you two here.”_

Reo was standing right behind us. I immediately looked down at myself. The memories of Clad 0 was still strong in my mind. Reo hid very well any feelings towards the mission. Even though we both sorted it out, I still felt a bit weird being around him with Hyuga was right there beside me.

_“Reo? What a surprise. What are you doing here on Neudaiz?”_

_“I’m on a mission as a bodyguard.”_

_“I see. I wonder why they ask Little Wing right when they have their own guards.”_

_“It was a personal request. Anyway, my client asked for both you and Amimi to meet.”_

_“What? Why us?”_

_“I have no idea. My client can be a little spontaneous. She just asked for the two of you.”_

We agreed and Reo escorted us to one of the meeting rooms within the Communion temple. There was no hiding the look of surprise once we saw who had asked for us.

_“Maiden?”_

“Please, Kusari is just fine.”

“Y-yes of course, but why the meeting?”

“Please have a seat. It’s nothing important. I just wanted to meet the two people my bodyguard talks so much about. I’m happy you accepted my invitation to the Festa, Hyuga.”

“That was you Mai-I mean Kusari?”

Being this close to Kusari brought that feeling of familiarity back in full force. Questions were running in my head at a breakneck speed. Why would Kusari take such an interest in us? Did she even know that Hyuga would try to invite me?

Something didn’t add up.

It felt off.

_“You’re giving that look.”_

I was shocked at the blunt tone Kusari was speaking.

_“You’re trying to piece everything together. Not everything has to have a reason behind it. I can assure you, as long as you’re my guests you are safe here.”_

Kusari had a point. She didn’t have to do all of this for us, so I suppose I shouldn’t be so suspicious of everything if it didn’t make sense. I looked down at my hands in shame. I shouldn’t have let my mind reach that way.

_“I apologize Maiden.”_

_“It’s quite alright Ami. Your way of thinking isn’t completely without merit. You’ve gone through a lot in these short years. I don’t blame you at all. How about I offer a personal vision as a token of friendship?”_

_“Are you allowed to do that?”_

_“If no one says anything. Besides it’s just for fun.”_

I was curious about what she would see.

_“Alright then.”_

_“You sure Ami?”_

_“Well, I’ll be fine Hyuga. Besides it’s not like she’ll see the end of the world or anything.”_

_“That’s true...”_

I took my hands into Kusari’s. Instantly I felt complete? It was a weird feeling, almost like this was meant to happen. It felt weird watching Kusari look at me so intensely. Almost like looking into my soul. Seeing her in this state really reminded me of Mirei. Despite the intensity, there was a hidden kindness flickering in her eyes.

I missed Mirei a little then. Even if it was a complete accident she was inside me.

I would have became a pawn of Dark Falz long ago if she hadn’t.

_“Hmm, very interesting...”_

_“What did you see?”_

_“Well, it’s hard to say. But you need to let go. Let things be as it should.”_

_“What are you talking about?”_

_“You try too hard for others’ kindness. You hide your wants and needs behind the justification of making it easier for them. In the end, you really just make them worry more. Your sacrifices aren’t any less important even though you’re still living. Let go of that. Let go of that martyr-esque thinking and just let things happen for what they are. Don’t suffer alone anymore.”_

Immediately I moved my hands away from Kusari. It was almost like her hands had burned me. I felt so sick to my stomach. Those words had hurt me more than any physical attack had. And the worst part was that, in the deepest recess of my mind, she was right. The air around me felt stagnant, suffocating.

I needed to leave.

_“Excuse me.”_

I left before anyone could stop me. I needed to get away from the temples. I needed to get away from Ohtoku. I wasn’t even thinking as I took a flyer to one of the creature infested islands of Neudaiz. Even though Dark Falz and its fragments were gone, mutated creatures as a result were still rampant through Gurhal.

It would be a good way to not think about what just happened.

I was glad for the distraction. Just purifying mutated creatures. I had done this so many times for so many years, it was almost no thought process put into it. I was done with the purification all too quickly. I found myself in one of the heavily forested areas. Now that I was without a distraction, Kusari’s words came back.

Was I really thinking like this?

I thought had I gotten over that when I talked with Karen.

Was I really content with suffering quietly?

Discomfort led to frustration. So much so I wanted to scream. The temptation to do so was so strong. I thought I was okay with Dark Falz and the Seed gone, but it just seems that I have a mountain of personal issues to take up the mantle.

God, I hated this part of myself so much.

When I think I’m doing okay, I get a brisk reminder that I wasn’t.

_“Ami? Ami!”_

I looked and saw that Hyuga was coming towards me. I didn’t want him to see me at such a state. So I ran further into the area. I really just needed to be by myself for a little while. But with the sound of his footsteps, he wasn’t going to let it happen. I knew I had to face him eventually. So I stopped.

_“You should really stop running off on your own.”_

_“I’m sorry, I just wanted to be alone.”_

_“Come on, lets at least sit down and talk about it.”_

He led me to the clearing of the forest, which turned out to be a ledge that oversaw the entire forest district. I sat at the edge, letting my feet dangle. Once upon a time I would have been afraid of falling but it seemed so insignificant now. I heard shuffling as Hyuga took a seat beside me. For a while it was just silence with the both of us taking in the sight.

_“How did you know where I was?”_

_“Kusari suggested I check out the flyer base. When you’re a president of a company, information is a bit easier to come by.”_

_“I see...sorry I basically ruined our date.”_

_“It’s not a problem. You can’t help what happened. I just wished you could open up to me a lot more.”_

_“Wha-”_

_“I know what happened on Clad 0.”_

That, really wasn’t that surprising.

_“I assume Reo told you then.”_

_“When he was cleared from the hospital actually. You know I don’t believe that there’s suddenly a dragon down there when there was not even an inkling of it when we did our original analysis. Reo knew this too so he told me the truth. I didn’t think his powers would manifest like that.”_

_“Wait, wait wait. You’ve known about his powers and you neglected to tell me?”_

_“It’s not my place. But that’s hardly the point. You feel the need to hold stuff back on the count of others’ feelings. But we’re not made of glass, we can handle it Ami. Don’t struggle on the inside for our sake.”_

I knew that. In my brain I knew what he was saying was true. I should open up to him and the others more. But I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want the others to be burdened by me. Especially for Hyuga. He’s been through so much already. I didn’t want to add my troubles to it. I sighed again. It seemed my solutions made things worse.

Just like Kusari said.

_“I’m sorry. It seems I keep screwing things up. But I do trust you. I trust you with my life even.”_

“I know Ami. I trust you with mines too. When I turned into Seed-Venas, a lot of things were hazy. But I remember fighting you all. I didn’t want to hurt any of you. I...was alright dying if it meant I couldn’t kill any of you. But then I remembered what you told Howzer. I remembered what you told me that day in the hospital. It was a small part in keeping me going. I knew I couldn’t die until I got to talk to you about it.”

I became silent.

Wait a second.

_“You remembered? How long?”_

_“I never forgot. Like I said, things were hazy, but slowly it got clearer. I guess after Rykros everything came back.”_

_“How come you didn’t tell me?”_

_“I wanted you to be the one who said it. It didn’t feel right to bring it up until you were ready.”_

I started to laugh. I wasn’t laughing at him. But at myself. I was so stressed about what ifs and rejections and Hyuga knew the entire time I had fallen in love with him.

_“Ami?”_

_“I’m fine. I really should have known. You were closer and more personal after you woke up and I should have realized. I was thinking about telling you but then Dad told me he was working for you and I just decided to not say anything.”_

_“That shouldn’t matter. Besides I’m sure Shion wouldn’t have minded. He has your happiness and mines in mind. If it happened to be with each other then it’ll be just two less things for him to worry about.”_

_“Wait a second, with each other? You’re willing to give this a try?”_

Hyuga responded to my question by putting his arms around my shoulders and letting me rest my head on his chest. This was different from any other moment we had together. This felt more personal. For the first time in a long while, I felt safe with someone so openly. It was comforting.

_“I wouldn’t have done so much if I wasn’t the least bit interested. Lets see how it works.”_

_“You’re not saying yes because of feeling sorry for me are you?”_

_“Don’t be ridiculous Ami. I genuinely want to try this with you.”_

It was silent afterwards. I was absorbing all that just happened. In the span of a day I just released years worth of hidden feelings and I felt alright with it.

_“Thanks Hyuga. Really.”_

_“It’s the least I can do. We should head back, I’m sure the others would want to know what happened.”_

_“I’m starting to have a feeling this was their objective.”_

_“You too?”_

He helped me up. Instead of letting my hand go, he kept holding on to it. I was a little embarrassed. But it was something I was going to get used to. He lowered his head to mines, just enough to touch foreheads. He smiled his usual smile at me, which was charming.

_“Before we go back, I want to hear it from you.”_

_“Oh? And what if I don’t?”_

_“After all we’ve been through Dear Ami?”_

_“Fine. Fine.”_

I used my free hand to touch his cheek. He smiled some more as he leaned into it. It felt weird to show so much affection so openly now. I had never guessed that I would be in this situation.

_“I love you Hyuga.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it, we've pretty much reached the end of this fic and maybe the series. I'd like to thank everyone who at least gave this a chance. There are a couple things I still want to do with this universe but it's very bare bones so I don't want to commit to saying it's definite. But keep your eyes peeled just in case. 
> 
> Until next time~


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